Chapter 2

The other monster tried to step in, but I grabbed her by the hair and threw her aside like a ragdoll.

Kaylee's mother screamed, charging forward to stop me. I grabbed a nearby mop handle and cracked it across her arm. She shrieked in agony.

Kaylee's father saw his opening and blindsided me with a kick to my lower back. I hit the ground in pain. Before I could recover, his fist caught me square in the face. My vision flashed crimson, blood pouring from my nose.

Like father, like daughter. What an absolute scumbag.

I snatched the wooden stick off the floor and threw myself at him, swinging straight for his head. But the blinding pain in my back threw off my aim, and the blow grazed his shoulder.

Total chaos erupted.

Kaylee tried to crawl away in tears, but I grabbed her hair and dragged her back.

Back to the corner. But this time, it was my fists landing, one after another, avenging every single hit Chloe took.

"Somebody stop her! Do something!"

The teacher panicked, frantically yelling for the officers.

The cops only made a half-hearted attempt to pull me off. It wasn't until Kaylee was beaten within an inch of her life that they finally pinned me down.

They glanced at the three wrecks lying on the floor, then looked at me, their brows furrowed, biting their tongues.

I knew what was confusing them.

I grew up training in martial arts. It's no exaggeration to say that even if another grown man jumped in, I could have handled him too.

With negotiations completely out the window, the police took both parties down to the station, rescheduling our meeting.

Before leaving, Kaylee's father glared at me with pure venom.

"I swear to God, I'm going to kill you."

I spat a mouthful of bloody saliva right at his feet.

"Try it. Because if you don't kill me, I'm going to kill your daughter."

The police separated us into different rooms, trying to calm me down.

Calm down? Not a chance.

From the very beginning, I had zero intention of talking things out. Scum like them are beyond redemption.

After learning that their injuries qualified as minor assault, the parents started screaming, demanding I be thrown in prison.

Even through several sets of closed doors, our shouting match echoed across the entire station.

The officer tried to talk me down again, but how could I possibly be calm?

"Officer, my daughter is in the hospital clinging to life! I can't even begin to imagine how terrified, how utterly helpless she felt when they were torturing her!"

The cop in front of me was the one who had shown me the video. He knew damn well how evil those two monsters were.

At the same time, he knew better than anyone how this would ultimately play out under the law.

And that outcome was something I could never accept.

"Disciplinary warnings and court-ordered counseling?"

I stared at him in disbelief.

"You're telling me those two monsters won't face any real punishment at all?"

"You can sue them for medical expenses," the officer added quietly.

"Do you think this is about money? I want justice!"

My fists slammed onto the table with a deafening crash.

"What the hell is a slap on the wrist going to do to them? My daughter was beaten nearly to death, and they get to walk away clean with a careless 'sorry'?"

The officer sighed.

"There are penalties for juvenile violence, yes. But if the perpetrators are under the age of criminal responsibility—under twelve—then..."

Despair swallowed me whole.

If I remembered correctly, those two were the same age as Chloe. They were only eleven...

"Fine. I understand."

Seeing that I had gone quiet, the officer stood up and patted my shoulder, offering what little comfort he could.