Chapter 107
"Sis! It's me, Luna!" Luna White quickly steadied her swaying sister, Luna Whitaker.
"Luna?" Whitaker whipped her head around, wincing as the sudden movement tugged at the cut on her lip. When she recognized her younger sister, her eyes lit up with joy.
"Why are you here? Did something happen at home?" Whitaker's first thought was that her sister was in trouble. Whenever Luna visited, she was usually timid and hesitant to speak. For her to travel all this way alone—something must be seriously wrong.
How had she even made it through over a hundred miles of mountain roads by herself?
"I'm fine. I just came to see you." Luna gently touched the bruises on her sister's face before turning a cold glare toward Darren Lewis. "Brother-in-law, no matter the reason, what kind of man hits a woman?"
From what her sister had said, the Lewis family had helped the Whites in the past. But looking at Darren's sneering face, there wasn't a shred of gratitude in him. Luna saw right through him—if her sister hadn't been breaking her back hauling stones in the mountains all these years, how could the Lewis family afford to give her two dollars a month for living expenses?
In this impoverished village, even men struggled to find work. How much suffering had her sister endured to earn that money? Luna's eyes burned, but she forced back the tears. This wasn't the time to cry—she had to deal with this bastard first.
Darren recognized Luna and flinched momentarily before puffing his chest out. "This is none of your business! Here to beg for money again, huh? Well, tough luck—we're broke! My son's sick, and we can't even afford medicine for him. Where would we get money to feed you? Get lost!"
"Darren Lewis!" Whitaker trembled with rage.
Luna glanced at the unconscious child on the floor. "Sis, let's take care of the boy first. He can't stay on the ground with a fever this bad."
As the sisters moved to lift the child, Darren lunged forward to shove Luna. Andrew Smith stepped in instantly, seizing his wrist and twisting it just enough to make him yelp in pain.
"Brother-in-law, let's talk sitting down." Andrew applied a bit more pressure, forcing Darren into a chair across the room. Sweat beaded on the man's forehead from the pain.
Only then did Darren notice Andrew's military uniform, and his bravado instantly deflated. Everyone in the village knew better than to mess with military families—especially officers.
"Who the hell are you? Stop calling me brother-in-law!" he spat, though his voice lacked its earlier bite.
Luna checked the child's pulse, and her expression darkened. The leg wound had festered, and the infection was spreading. If they didn't act fast, this could turn deadly.
"This is my fiancé, a military instructor," Luna said, standing up. "Brother-in-law, the boy needs to go to the hospital immediately. If we delay any longer, the consequences will be dire."
Darren scoffed. "All our money went to your living expenses! Where would we get medical fees? Want money? Then pay back every cent you've taken from us over the years!"
Whitaker wiped her tears and stood. "Fine! Consider my money wasted on a dog! I'll borrow what I need to save my son!"
"You dare!" Darren sprang up to kick her, but Andrew sent him crashing to the ground with a single strike.
"Officer assaulting civilians!" Darren howled from the floor but didn't dare move. The look in Andrew's eyes was enough to make him believe the man would tear him apart.