Chapter 2 - The Shattered GlassHer tiny fingers slipped on the heavy condensation beading the crystal surface. The glass tilted, water splashing violently across the pristine white tablecloth before the crystal crashed onto the imported Italian tiles. A silver spoon followed, clattering loudly against the floor.
The sound felt as loud as a gunshot in the tense silence of the restaurant.
Every eye at the table snapped toward her. Lily shrank back, her breath hitching, her wide, terrified eyes scanning the faces around her.
One of Marcus’s top lieutenants, a scarred brute named Victor, pulled back his wet sleeve with an expression of pure, unfiltered annoyance. He didn't say a word to scold her—he didn't have to. The cruel weight of his glare said everything.
Lily understood the look instantly. Her small shoulders curled inward, her chin pressed against her chest as she tried desperately to swallow her tears, terrified of drawing her father’s wrath.
Mr. Ross, the restaurant manager, appeared beside me like a ghost, his hand clamping hard onto my forearm.
"Stay here," Ross hissed under his breath, his eyes wide with panic. "Do not move an inch. Let one of the busboys handle it."
May you like
But as I watched Lily’s lip tremble, something inside me broke. The old suitcase under my bed, the hidden documents, the careful rules of my self-preservation—they all dissolved. I couldn't stand by and watch another child be locked away in silence.
I pulled my arm away from Ross’s grip.
