Page 53 of The Young & the Sinner

My heart broke with every stuttered breath she took, and I didn’t know if I wanted to destroy everything in my path or break down with her.

We sat there for a long time. I didn’t have the courage to ask her if Lorenzo had raped her. If we had been too late.

God, I hope we weren’t too late.

I wasn’t sure how long we sat there, but she fell asleep at one point, and shortly after, I heard police sirens outside her window.

Carefully, I lifted her up into my arms. She didn’t even stir when I laid her down on the bed, pulling the covers over her.

I brushed away a long strand of brown hair, hating how pale her skin looked, and wiped away the remnants of tears on her cheeks.

This image would haunt me for the rest of my life.

“Sleep, Livie. I’ll keep you safe. I promise.”

I quietly shut the door behind me, and putting on a mask of calm, I walked downstairs to greet the police officers.

I knew the kind of man Lorenzo’s father was. I knew he would fight for his son, for no other reason than to save his pride.

But he met his match in me.

I was going to destroy the son of a bitch with everything I had.

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