- Zayn -
The heavy door of my father's office slammed shut behind me, and the reverberations of it echoed in my ears like the lingering impact of a thunderclap. I cradled Elizabeth in my arms, her soft, trembling body contrasting sharply with the tempest raging inside me. Her sobs muffled against my chest, and I could feel the heat of anger radiating off my skin, boiling within, ready to erupt.
"Damn it all!" I spat through gritted teeth, the words more a curse to the universe than to anyone in particular. My mind raced with images of that punch landing squarely on Lizzie's face, a brutal reminder of the convoluted mess our lives had become. I cursed the gods for not intervening, for allowing that animal to lay a hand on her. Her pain was my pain; her bruises were marks on my soul.
As
