Scarlett’s POV

I stood there in the garden, my cheek throbbing from the scratch, my mind a tangle of fear and humiliation. David’s anger still lingered in the air, thick as smoke.

Lucas clung to his stuffed rabbit, glaring at me like I was some kind of monster.

That’s when I heard hurried footsteps.

My father, Marcus, bustled in, his expression twisting as he took in the scene, me with a bleeding cheek, David clutching Lucas in his arms, and the tension so sharp.

Marcus’s eyes darted ...