"Damn it, bitch! Are you asking for trouble?"


    The man''s eyes zed with rage as he lunged at Evelyn. Shey sprawled on the ground, watching him charge, feeling too weak to fight back. Her only defense was to curl up tightly, clutching Charlie''s locket to her chest like a lifeline. "Hand it over!"


    The man was used to hardbor, and had a grip like a vise. His hand mped down on Evelyn''s arm, trying to pry it open. But he wasn''t ready for Evelyn''s fierce determination. Despite his bulging veins and all the strength he could muster, he couldn''t make her let go. Furious, he snarled, "Damn it! I''m gonna show you!"


    He stood up, swearing under his breath. When he couldn''t pry her hands apart, he resorted to kicking. His foot came crashing down on Evelyn. He was used toing home drunk and hitting his wife, so he had no qualms about being rough. Fueled by anger, his kicks were even more brutal.


    Each blow sent waves of pain through Evelyn, forcing her to curl up tighter. As her consciousness started to slip away, she held onto the locket for dear life, not letting go even in her delirium.


    Her mind shed back to the day Charlie died. During countless sleepless nights, tossing and turning, she''d often wonder if only she''d caught Charlie''s lies sooner, if she''d checked on her at the amusement park earlier, maybe her condition wouldn''t have worsened. Maybe she wouldn''t have... died. Evelyn loathed Dahlia, resented Charles, and never forgave herself. The guilt of not protecting Charlie weighed heavily on her.


    "Charlie, don''t worry. Mommy will keep you safe this time."


    She couldn''t let the locket be taken and discarded in some forgotten ce. Charlie would be scared.


    However, the man was relentless, and the pain was overwhelming. Evelyn fought with everything she had, but as her strength ebbed away under his assault, her body went limp, and she couldn''t even stay curled up.


    Sensing her weakness, the man stopped kicking. He crouched down and easily pried Evelyn''s body open. Shey there, powerless, still gripping the ne. He thought she''d be an easy mark, but... "What a real pain," he grumbled.


    He used his knee to pin her down, had one hand pressing her shoulder, and didn''t care if he hurt her as he pried her fingers open, one by one. "No..." Even as darkness threatened to ovee her, Evelyn tried to fight back, but it was hopeless. The man yanked the ne free. "No..."


    When the ne was finally torn away, Evelyn felt a hollow emptiness inside her. As the man turned to leave, she reached out with thest of her strength, grabbed his pant leg, and pleaded, "Please, give me back my daughter..."


    Before she could finish, the man impatiently kicked her hand away. Evelyn had no strength left and was forced to watch helplessly as Charlie''s locket was taken.


    The man weighed the ne in


    his hand. In the moonlight, he examined it, unsure of its value. He


    wasn''t savvy enough to recognize its worth, but Evelyn''s desperate reaction suggested it was priceless. He believed she was still trying to fool him, iming it was worthless.


    He tucked the ne into his pocket, thinking maybe this find would finally make him rich.