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⊰ 20.5 ⊱ In the Wake of a Monster
Content Advisory: Graphic depicts of violence. Reader discretion is advised.
⊰ Marcel ⊱
I sit on the edge of the bed, my heart heavy as I watch Mercy curl into herself. Her body looks so small and fragile in the oversized t-shirt I helped her into. The sight of her battered skin, the bruises marring her delicate frame, it’s almost more than I can stand.
How could I let this happen?
…
How could I have failed to protect her, again?
The questions torment me, guilt and rage warring within my chest. I want to break something, to unleash the anger that’s simmering just beneath the surface. But I can’t. Not here. Not now. Not when she needs me to be strong, to be her rock.
“Are you mad at me?” Her voice is small, barely above a whisper, but it cuts through the silence like a knife.
I don’t respond, my jaw clenching as I try to find the right words.
The truth
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