Chapter 2

When Damian was called to the police station in the middle of the night, the facial recognition on the security footage hadn't been fully restored yet.

Between the blind spots of the camera and the pitch-black night, it was hard to make out the victim’s face.

The detective met Damian, his sharp eyes scanning him from head to toe.

With a heavy voice, the detective placed a watch in front of him.

"We found this at the crime scene. It has old and new scratches all over it, and your fingerprints are on it."

"More importantly, we verified with the store. You ordered this watch yourself."

Damian frowned, his gaze falling on the battered watch.

The glass face was shattered, the strap hacked to pieces by something sharp. He flipped it over gently and saw the letters engraved on the inside.

"I bought it," he said, pausing.

Thinking of me, a look of disgust flashed in his eyes, and his voice turned ice-cold.

"But my sister, Sienna, threw this watch away. If she’s in trouble, go find her. Her life has nothing to do with me."

With that, he stood up abruptly, turning to leave the station.

But his eyes were caught by the security footage playing on a loop on a nearby screen.

It was the tape of the vagrant attack.

The screen was playing the exact moment I was being brutally assaulted by multiple men in the shadows.

Blood trailed across the ground, stretching into the darkness.

Thud! Damian slammed his fist violently onto the table.

His eyes turned bloodshot, welling with tears.

His entire body began to shake, consumed by pure rage.

"Animals! Those goddamn scumbags! So many of them, ganging up on one helpless girl!"

"Bastards!"

A faint smile touched my ghostly lips. Could this count as Damian crying for me?

Since Mom "died," I hadn't seen him show this much emotion in a long time.

The footage kept playing.

After the monsters finished, they brutally broke my legs and dragged me into a blind spot.

Hoarse screams and sadistic laughter mingled on the tape.

Fear, despair, and excruciating pain seemed to wrap around me again, swallowing me whole.

Right before I disappeared from the camera's view, my blurry, half-ruined face was exposed for a split second.

The officers in the room looked grim, some stepping forward to pat Damian's shoulder in sympathy.

"This is the latest attack. A lot of women have gone missing or been hurt lately. Don’t you have a sister? Keep her safe."

"Don't let her end up like this poor girl. She’s been missing for two days, and no one even filed a report. We don't even know who she is."

Damian didn't say a word, his eyes glued to the screen.

I lowered my head with a bitter smile, looking at my own shattered soul.

Damian hated me. Why would he ever protect me?

If he cared, I wouldn't have been dead for two days without them even noticing.

It hurt so bad.

After a long silence, Damian spoke, his voice hoarse and dripping with sarcasm.

"The watch belongs to that girl. It’s highly likely the victim is someone my sister knows. I'll ask her when I get back."

"Both cases are tied to her. There’s no way she doesn't know something about this."

"As for protecting her? She doesn't deserve it."