Heavy.
Suffocating.
Someone swallowed hard.
“Monster… run! RUN!”
Panic broke out instantly.
They scattered in every direction.
Scarlett’s gaze darkened.
The boy’s injuries flashed through her mind.
And then-
Her own child.
If he had lived…
He’d be about this age.
Her eyes narrowed.
Run?
Not happening.
She crouched, scooped up a handful of small stones-
And flicked her wrist.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-
The stones tore through the air with deadly precision.
“AAAGH-!”
One by one, the fleeing men collapsed, clutching their legs, screaming in pain.
The boy’s eyes lit up.
She was incredible.
So strong.
So cool.
She had to be his mom.
He remembered-
He’d dreamed about this before.
A dream where he was in danger, and his mom appeared just in time to save him.
And now-
It was real.
But then-
The scar-faced man, still on the ground, pulled out a gun.
The barrel aimed straight at Scarlett’s head.
“Mommy! Watch out!” the boy screamed, his face going pale.
The trigger was pulled.
BANG-
The bullet fired.
***
Scarlett was about to dodge-
When suddenly-
A hand caught her wrist.
Before she could react, an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her hard against someone’s chest.
Her forehead hit something solid.
Warm.
Firm.
A man.
Her eyes darkened instantly.
She moved to break free-
But the arm around her tightened, pulling her even closer.
Her expression turned cold.
Was this guy seriously trying something?
Her hand slid to her waist, fingers closing around the hilt of a hidden blade-
But before she could strike-
He let go.
Scarlett stepped back immediately, every nerve on alert as she looked up-
And froze.
For a split second, her pupils shrank.
The man standing in front of her was striking.
Sharp features, as if carved from stone. Strong brows, a straight, defined nose, and thin lips that naturally carried a hint of severity.
There was an effortless elegance about him-
The kind that couldn’t be faked. The kind that came from power, from upbringing, from standing at the very top.
But what caught her off guard the most-
Was how much he resembled the boy.
Father and son?
While Scarlett studied him-
He studied her.
Carefully.
Silently.
Behind his back, his fingers brushed lightly together-the same hand that had just been around her waist.
His dark eyes stayed fixed on her.
Unblinking.
Then-
The boy ran over on unsteady legs and threw his arms around Scarlett’s leg, clinging to her like he never planned to let go.
“Mommy! Mommy! I finally found you!” he cried, tears streaming down his face.
Mommy?
Theron’s expression shifted almost imperceptibly.
His gaze flicked between Scarlett and the boy.
Looking closer-
There really was a resemblance.
Could it be…
That night, five years ago-
Was it her?
His eyes sharpened slightly as his gaze moved to the corner of her eye.
Nothing.
No mark.
That night, his mind had been clouded, his memory incomplete-but one detail had stayed clear.
The woman had a small red mark near her eye.
Scarlett didn’t.
Her skin there was flawless.
And besides-
He had found the child abandoned in a trash bin.
What kind of mother would do that?
Someone capable of that kind of cruelty…
Couldn’t be the same woman who had just risked everything to protect a child.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.