Chapter 4

But I had nowhere to go.

Home was not an option. I did not want to go back there at all. My parents were twisted, distorted people. The moment I saw them, I could not stop myself from wanting to kill them both.

School was no longer an option either.

The group chat was overflowing with nothing but curses aimed directly at me.

[Did you hear? Marcus forced himself on Valerie!]

[Wasn’t it said he just stood by and did nothing?]

[It wasn’t standing by. He hired street punks! Those punks already turned themselves in.]

[Marcus, come out and die, you bastard!]

[If he dares come back to school, I’ll beat him to death. Anyone in?]

[Count me in!]

[Me too!]

[Good looks, good grades, and from a good family background. How did he turn out to be such an asshole?]

I let out a bitter smile, closed the group chat, and slipped my phone into my pocket.

At that moment, the door to the mediation room opened.

It was the female police officer.

When she saw me, she sighed softly.

“You… you… Are you alright?” she asked gently.

“I’m fine,” I replied.

“Thank you for protecting me.”

I was in miserable shape, yet I still forced myself to give her the brightest smile I could manage.

“This isn’t right,” she said, her voice tight. “They gave false testimony. But your parents and Valerie’s parents insist on settling privately, and they refuse to pursue what those street punks did.”

“I want to help you,” she continued quietly. “But there’s nothing I can do.”

As she spoke, her eyes slowly reddened.

She was righteous, kind, and beautiful.

“Maybe one day,” I said softly, “I’ll be the one helping you, Officer.”

Then I stood up and asked, “Could you give me your contact information?”

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Alright.”

She gave me her contact details and told me her name.

Officer Rachelle Pierce.

Not long after, I was taken to the hospital again because Valerie had woken up.

By the time I arrived, the ward and the hallway outside were already packed.

Many students from the school were there, and so were many teachers.

When they looked at me, their eyes were filled with pure hatred.

“Beat him to death!”

As I walked forward, a beautiful girl suddenly stepped out and slapped me hard across the face.

Her reputation at school was terrible. Everyone knew it. When she had been bullied before, I was the one who helped her. After that, she chased after me relentlessly. When I rejected her, she turned against me.

“Do it for Valerie!”

Brandon Wells, a chubby kid, kicked me hard.

Brandon used to be the errand boy for the entire grade. I was the one who stopped others from bullying him. We had never even argued before, so I could not understand why he would strike me, too.

If there had to be an explanation, it was human nature.

“Look!” he probably thought. “This is Marcus, the good student, the rich kid, the handsome guy! Now I’ve beaten him, and he doesn’t even dare fight back. I’m stepping on him!”

That could be exactly what he was thinking.

With every step I took, another blow landed on me. By the time I reached Valerie’s hospital bed, my body was already covered in injuries.

The moment Valerie saw me, terror flashed across her face.

“Don’t come over!” she screamed.

“Please, Marcus, don’t hurt me! I’m begging you!”

She broke down sobbing and hid beneath the blanket.

“You bastard!” Valerie’s father kicked me, fury blazing across his face.

“Beat him to death!” someone in the crowd shouted.

I did not see who it was, but I recognized the voice.

It was Lucas.

Then I was surrounded and beaten.

If I had wanted to fight back, I could have dropped them one by one with a single punch each.

However, I refrained from doing so, as I sought to understand their motivation for wanting my death.

Just then, Rachelle burst in with several other police officers. She looked at me with a complex expression, regret mingled with disappointment.

“Valerie has your skin tissue under her fingernails,” she said softly. “Marcus Lancaster, you are under arrest.”

I struggled to my feet like a paper figure about to collapse. I staggered forward, then fell straight into her arms.

"Officer… my phone password is 591818," I whispered weakly. "Once you see what's inside, you won't be disappointed."

After that, everything went dark.