CHAPTER 2 — THE GIRL IN THE RED DRESS
He knelt beside the pool.
Not hurried. Not emotional.
Controlled.
He reached into the water and lifted the young woman carefully, as if she weighed less than the consequences surrounding them.
Her hands trembled violently.
Her eyes avoided his at first.
Like she no longer trusted kindness.
“It’s okay now,” he said softly.
Not a command.
Not authority.
Just certainty.
Her breathing broke.
“I… I didn’t do anything wrong,” she whispered.
“I know,” he replied.
That was all.
Because in his world, truth didn’t need repetition.
He removed his black coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. The contrast between black fabric and red dress looked like a wound finally being covered.
Behind them, the young man resurfaced in the pool, gasping for air, trying to regain dignity that no longer existed.
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But no one helped him.
Not anymore.
