Chapter 7
"Please. No matter what I do, Valerie always has my back. Even those three 'accidents', Terrell knew it was me every time, but he just let it go. In his eyes, you can't even compare to me, not even to one of my fingers."
The homeless man puckered his lips, about to plant a kiss on Daniel, but Daniel didn't hesitate. He lifted his foot and drove it hard into the man's groin.
The homeless man howled in pain and let go, and Daniel took the chance to scramble to his feet. But just as he was about to make a run for it, the man grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked him back with brutal force.
The homeless man landed a vicious slap across Daniel's face.
"You bitch, how dare you hit me?" the homeless man snarled.
Another slap followed, and Daniel's face was instantly swollen and red beyond recognition.
"Terrell, I won't let you get away with this," Daniel spat.
Terrell just sat there on the couch, legs crossed, casually eating fruit, completely unfazed by Daniel's pain.
"I'll be waiting for karma to bite you back," Daniel sneered.
The next second, there was a loud rip as the homeless man tore Daniel's pants apart, exposing his fair skin.
"No!" Daniel screamed in terror.
But the homeless man didn't stop. His hands kept roaming over Daniel's thighs, while Terrell just sat there on the couch, casually recording everything on his phone.
Desperate, Daniel clawed his way up from the floor, snatched a vase from the living room, and smashed it over the homeless man's head with everything he had.
The homeless man clutched his wounded forehead, letting out a string of curses. Then he grabbed another vase, raised his arm, and sent it flying straight at Daniel.
Crimson blood trickled down Daniel's forehead. A wave of dizziness washed over him, and everything faded to black.
When Daniel came to, he found himself back in that all-too-familiar hospital room.
His hand moved slightly, and Valerie hurried to his bedside.
"You're finally awake," Valerie said, her voice full of relief.
Daniel shot her a cold, unreadable look.
"Where's Terrell?" he asked, his voice icy.
Valerie looked uncomfortable, a hint of embarrassment flickering across her face.
"Terrell messed up this time, but I've already scolded him and put him in time-out. Since you're fine, let's just leave it at that," she said.
Daniel touched the bandage on his forehead, a bitter smile tugging at his lips.
"I was almost assaulted, and I nearly died. And you expect me to just let it go?" he said, his voice shaking with anger.
Valerie's face soured with irritation.
"I've already grounded Terrell. He's not leaving the house. Seriously, what more do you want from me?" she shot back.
Daniel yanked his hand away from Valerie.
"Grounding, huh? That's just a nice way of saying you're protecting him because you're afraid I'll make him pay," Daniel sneered.
Valerie's face darkened.
"Daniel, what do you really want? If you even think about taking revenge on Terrell, you know exactly what'll happen," she warned, her voice cold and threatening.
Daniel thrust his finger toward the door, his voice raw with fury.
"Get the hell out!" he roared.
"Valerie, I can't believe I actually loved a woman like you," he spat.
Valerie stiffened, her face darkening with anger.
"Take some time to cool off. I'll check on you tomorrow," she said.
That night, Daniel lay staring blankly at the ceiling. Just as he tried to sit up for some water, a pair of hands suddenly clamped down hard over his mouth.
He didn't even have time to struggle before he blacked out completely.
When Daniel finally came to, he found himself at the edge of a cliff, the endless ocean yawning below.
He was completely tied up, and right next to him was someone he instantly recognized.
Turns out, it was Terrell.
Terrell was strapped to another tree a few feet away.
Some guy dressed in black had a knife pressed right against Terrell's stomach.
"Who are you? Why did you kidnap us?" Daniel demanded.
Terrell looked absolutely terrified, his face pale as a ghost. Daniel stared hard at the guy, a nagging feeling gnawing at him. He was sure he'd seen this man somewhere before.
Just then, Valerie rushed over, her eyes brimming with worry and heartbreak as she looked at Terrell.
The man in black sneered, "Valerie, you're always so cunning, aren't you? Well, today you get to choose your lover or your brother. Only one gets out of here."
"Please, just let them go! Whatever you want, money, anything, I'll give it to you," Valerie begged, her voice shaking with desperation.
Her face was ghostly pale, all the color drained from her cheeks.
The man in black burst out laughing, his voice full of cruel delight.
"I don't give a damn about your money. I just want to see you suffer, drown in regret, and die a miserable death," he sneered.
With that, the man pressed the knife hard against Daniel's neck, cold steel biting into his skin and drawing a thin line of blood.
"Pick one. You get to save one, and the other goes straight into the ocean to feed the fish," he spat.
"Valerie, please, save me! I don't want to die!" Terrell cried out.
"Didn't you say you'd always protect me? Didn't you promise you'd always be there for me?" he pleaded.
Terrell was sobbing uncontrollably, his whole body shaking with fear.
Valerie's heart nearly shattered seeing Terrell so terrified.
Then she looked at Daniel. He stayed silent, but his eyes were brimming with disappointment, regret, and pure hatred.