“Why would he save you?” Luke asked softly.

Ethan looked up. “Because he didn’t see what I’d done. Only who I could’ve been.”

Luke’s eyes filled with tears.

And as he turned away, the clouds broke open — sunlight pouring down like mercy itself.

But the story didn’t end there.

Three months passed. Ethan was transferred to a state facility for rehabilitation instead of maximum security — an unusual decision supported by Luke himself.

When asked why, Luke said simply, “Because Rex believed he was worth saving.”

Inside prison, Ethan began working in the K9 rehabilitation program, training abandoned police dogs. The same sharp bark that once made him freeze in fear now gave him purpose.