Alexander was the first to rush in. The moment his eyes landed on the scene before him, it felt like every last ounce of strength drained from his body.
Lucy was lying there, her hair matted with sticky blood. Her face was swollen and bruised beyond recognition—God knows how much more damage was hidden beneath the clothes.
His knees buckled, and he stumbled back two steps, hands clutching his head like he was trying to stop himself from falling apart.
And right then, memories of their younger days came flooding back, snapping him in the chest like a whip.
He remembered a time after school, cornered by a bunch of thugs. He had refused to pay "protection fees" and got the hell beaten out of him, his face and body all banged up.
He didn't fight back. He knew—she'd come.
An
