Chapter 3
"Hey there, sweetheart. All by yourself? How 'bout we buy you a drink?" One of them reeked of liquor, his face split into a leering grin as he crowded closer.
Every alarm in Avery's body went off at once. She kept her voice steady. "Get out of my way. I don't know you."
"One drink and you will, huh?" The other man grabbed for her arm. "Dressed up that nice, ain't it all for show? Be a good girl and keep us company, or else..."
He narrowed his eyes in a menacing squint. "You're gonna regret it."
"Back off!" Avery wrenched her arm free and snapped at them, though her heart was hammering with fear.
The commotion drew attention from people near the entrance, including Charles and Nina at their table.
Charles turned at the sound. When he recognized that the woman being harassed was Avery, a flicker of unmistakable discomfort crossed his face before he quickly composed himself.
He strode over in long, decisive steps, pulled Avery behind him, and leveled a cold, commanding voice at the men. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Whoa, tough guy! Playing hero, are we?" The drunk one jabbed a finger at Nina, who stood frozen nearby.
"Keep an eye on your own girlfriend, pal! This other chick ain't none of your business."
The word "girlfriend" pierced Avery's ears like a needle.
She looked at Charles, and even in this moment, some stubborn, dying ember of hope still flickered inside her. She waited for him to correct them, to say the words, "She's my wife."
Charles' body went rigid. His jaw clenched. But he said nothing.
That silence cut deeper than any words ever could.
Avery felt the last pillar holding her up crumble to dust. A paralyzing chill spread through her entire body.
The two thugs took his silence as weakness and grew bolder, circling around him to close in on Avery again. "C'mon, sweetheart, don't be like that..."
One of them lunged for Avery. Charles' eyes went sharp. He reacted in a flash, driving a heavy fist straight into the man's skull.
"Ah!" The man shrieked, blood gushing from his nose. He charged back with a roar. "You son of a bitch! You hit me!"
The two men locked into a violent brawl, the scene erupting into chaos.
Nina screamed in a shrill, terrified voice. "Charles! Stop! Be careful!"
The second thug saw his partner losing and his eyes turned vicious. He rushed at Nina, clamped an arm around her neck, and pulled a small knife, pressing it against her side. He snarled at Charles.
"Freeze! Let my buddy go! Or I'm taking your little girlfriend with me, and she ain't gonna like what happens next! Back off if you know what's good for you!"
Nina's face went white with terror. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sobbed. "Charles! Save me! Please! I'm so scared!"
Charles had the first thug pinned to the ground. He whipped his head around at Nina's cries. The sight of her trembling and weeping in the man's grip stopped him cold.
A split second of hesitation crossed his face. Then he released his hold on the man beneath him and sprang to his feet.
His gaze swept past Avery's ashen face and locked onto Nina. His voice was low and steady. "Don't hurt her. We're leaving."
He didn't spare Avery another glance. She might as well have been a stranger on the street. He shielded Nina with his body and ushered her away from the scene.
The whole thing happened so fast that Avery couldn't even process it.
She stood there, abandoned in the chaos, watching the man she had counted on shield someone else and walk away without looking back.
The two thugs scrambled to their feet, cursing. All the rage from their ruined evening turned on Avery.
"Stupid bitch! You got us beat up! We're takin' you to settle the score!"
The one with the bloody nose seized her arm in a brutal grip. The other clamped a hand over her mouth to smother any cry for help.
They dragged her by force, hauling her deeper into the darkening alley.
Despair rose around her like freezing mud, smothering her nose and mouth, suffocating every last shred of hope.
No. She would not let them take her like this.
She was Avery, the daughter of the Lancaster family. Even if she was going to die, she would not die like this.
Survival instinct and fierce, primal stubbornness erupted in one final burst.
As they dragged her past a concrete utility pole, she gathered every ounce of strength in her body, snapped her head back, then slammed it forward into the pole with everything she had.
A sickening thud echoed through the alley.
Searing pain exploded across her forehead, and warm liquid streamed down her face.
The two men gaped at her, stunned by the sudden, violent act of self-harm.
"Holy shit! This chick's insane!"
"Let's go! If she dies, we're done for!"
They released her like she was a live grenade, stumbling over each other in a panicked scramble, vanishing into the dark mouth of the alley.
Avery slid down the utility pole and crumpled to the ground. Blood from her forehead traced a path along her cheek and pooled into a small, dark stain on the rough concrete.
The physical pain didn't amount to a fraction of what she felt inside. Her vision blurred, and consciousness slipped into darkness.