As I clutched a shard of ss, ready to plunge it into my own throat, Colin''s hand shot up, seizing
the bloody fragment from my grasp.
"Madness, sheer madness..." Melody stumbled backward in terror, her legs giving out beneath her
as she copsed to the ground, unconscious.
Blood trickled from her forehead.
Only then did it hit me—I had dragged her by her hair, using her head to shatter the ss.
"Ms. Burton!" The butler cried out in rm.
Dexter, too panicked to care for decorum, rushed to Melody''s side to assess her condition.
I couldn''t care less about Melody''s fate. My hands trembling, I cradled Colin''s face, pressing my
forehead against his, and whispered, "Colin, let''s go home..."
Damian''s face was a mask of disbelief, his gaze icy as it fixed on Colin and me. Then, he burst into
crazedughter.
Outside the courtyard, a car screeched to a halt. It was Robin, Ste, and Finn rushing to the scene.
Finn nced at the blood on Colin''s and my hands, his anger palpable as he brandished some
documents. "Carl has dropped the charges. Colin''s violent outburst was provoked! We don''t believe
hecks the capacity to control his own actions! He is still a person with rights, and his guardian will
decide where he goes!"
A wave of relief washed over me—we were saved atst.
I had sent a message to Robin earlier, never expecting Finn toe to Colin''s aid...N?velDrama.Org ? content.
"Phoebe..." Ste ran over, panic-stricken at the sight of my hands.
I gave her a reassuring smile and shook my head.
Finally... we had won a battle.
Before Damian could smugly take Colin away, our people arrived.
Damian cast me a chilly nce, the smirk on his lips as if to say we could never escape.
"What''s wrong with him?" Finn stepped forward, examining Colin before frowning in concern. "That
lunatic... he''s drugged him."
Finn''s fury rose, and hended a punch on Damian. "The person in need of psychiatric help is you!
Who gave you permission to drug him?"
Damian wiped the blood from his mouth with a sneer. "If you believe our medical practices are
inappropriate, feel free to report us to the health department or any other authority."
Finn gritted his teeth. "Don''t worry, I will."
Damian chuckled confidently and walked away, certain that all his actions and treatments were
justified.
"Colin, let''s go home..." I took Colin''s hand.
He followed me, his eyes void of life but obedientlypliant.
He was like... a docile puppet.
"Phoebe!" Dexter, anxious as he carried Melody to the hospital, called out my name, not wanting
me to leave with Colin.
"Take care of yourself and the woman in your arms. Next time, it won''t be as simple as using her
head to break ss," I warned coldly, leading Colin to the car.
"Hey, I hear that drug makes people superpliant, and they''ll do anything you say," Finn said as
he got into the car, eyeing Colin with interest as if amused by the situation. "Caleb, even you have
your days. Be a good boy and call me ''boss.''"
I rubbed my temples, annoyed at Finn, but let it slide considering he had punched Damian for us.
But he was pushing it, taking advantage of Colin''s drugged state to pinch his face.
"I''ve always been jealous of you, genius, and so damn attractive. Let me have a feel," Finn
muttered. "It''s now or never."
"Agh!" Then, a scream erupted from the car as Colin bit down hard on Finn''s hand, refusing to let
go.
Startled, I quickly tried to pry Colin''s jaw open. "Colin, easy, you''re going to break his fingers..."
Finn was in tears, cursing up a storm. "Damn it! Is that freak Damian''s drug expired or what? Let go!
Caleb, I swear..."
"Alright, alright, you''re the boss, Caleb. My mistake! Let go, boss!"
I felt a mix of concern for Colin and amusement at Finn''s antics, even as tears streamed down, I
couldn''t help butugh.
This time, we had won.
But what about next time?
I hugged Colin tightly.
Colin, what must I do to keep you safe?
"Crash!"
Suddenly, a truck barreled out of an alley, timing its charge perfectly to ram into us.
In that instant, Colin instinctively pulled me into his arms, shielding me.
My breath grew erratic, my consciousness began to blur.
Protecting me had truly be Colin''s instinct.
Colin...