She lifted her head, her heart racing so fast it hurt. Rain poured down in heavy sheets, soaking her hair, her clothes, her skin—mixing with tears she could no longer separate from the storm.
Under the dim yellow glow of a flickering streetlamp, she saw a figure moving quickly toward her.
“…Ethan?”
Her voice broke on his name.
Her brother.
Her older brother.
The one she hadn’t seen in months because Daniel always had a reason—always a convenient excuse—to keep him away.
Ethan didn’t say anything at first. He stepped closer, took off his jacket, and gently draped it over her shoulders, shielding her trembling body from the cold rain.
Then he saw her face.
The red mark on her cheek.
And something inside him shifted.
Not shock.
Not confusion.
Something colder.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
“Who did this to you?” he asked quietly.
Sophie didn’t answer.
She didn’t have to.
Ethan slowly lifted his gaze toward the house behind her.
The lights were still on.
The curtains moved slightly.
Shadows passed behind the glass.
He already knew.
He had always known.
It was Sophie… who had refused to see it.
“Come on,” he said, his voice firm but steady. “You’re leaving with me.”
She hesitated.
Her eyes drifted to the front door.