Chapter 8 The Streets Over the Larson Residence

Samuel sat in the car inside the Larson residence's garage, reviewing the dashcam footage. During the 15-minute drive home from the prison, Kaia kept her hands on her lap, her body pressed against the car window. She stayed like that the entire time. She hadn't even glanced at Wendy's gown, much less tampered with it. Samuel thought about how he, Benedict, Amethyst, and Wendy had blamed Kaia and how she'd faced them with icy defiance. A dull ache settled in Samuel's chest as guilt and remorse threatened to overwhelm him. His gaze was hollow as he stared blankly ahead. Kaia's cold, resolute eyes kept flashing through his mind. Samuel remembered how she used to smile so easily. Every time he came home, she would greet him warmly, calling him "Sam" as she brought him a drink, fussing over him. "Sam, you must be tired from work," she'd say. But now, Kaia seemed like a completely different person. Samuel's head throbbed. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the leather seat, exhausted. After what felt like an eternity, Kaia's gentle voice suddenly rang out from a distance. "Kate, you don't need to walk me out. Go back inside." "Ms. Larson, please be careful. Call me if you run into any trouble." Samuel's eyes snapped open, and his gaze immediately locked onto Kaia and Kate standing at the villa's entrance. After a brief exchange, Kaia turned to leave. Seeing this, Samuel quickly stepped out of the car and shouted, "Kaia! Where do you think you're going?" His voice exploded like thunder in the quiet courtyard, making Kate flinch in surprise. "Mr. Larson, what are you doing here? Weren't you—" A sharp glare from Samuel cut her off mid-sentence. Then, his voice turned icy. "Kaia, stop right there." But Kaia acted as though she hadn't heard him, limping forward without pause. Her refusal to acknowledge him sent a spike of panic through him. One thought flashed through his mind—Kaia was leaving the Larson residence. Samuel's chest tightened with urgency. In long strides, he closed the distance between them and seized her arm. "Are you deaf? I told you to stop!" Kaia turned, and when she recognized Samuel, her expression shifted. She truly hadn't heard him. During her first year in prison, her left ear had gone deaf from a blow. After countless blows, even her right ear's hearing had dulled. Most words never reached her unless someone spoke to her up close. Kaia averted her gaze and tried to wrench her hand free. "Let me go." Her defiance instantly replaced Samuel's guilt with a surge of anger. "Enough. Today is Wendy's birthday. You've already made a scene at the banquet hall, and now you're running away? Why can't you just behave?" Ignoring her resistance, he seized her arm and hauled her forward. "You're coming back with me. Now." Samuel's hand clamped down, his grip tightening until pain lanced through Kaia's arm, threatening to splinter bone. Tears welled in her bloodshot eyes, her voice fraying as she shouted, "I'm not going back! Let me leave!" Her body lurched under his brutal tug, every step a struggle. Her injured leg buckled, threatening to give out beneath her. Kate anxiously pleaded from the side. "Mr. Larson, please be careful! Ms. Larson is still hurt!" Samuel's gaze flickered with concern. His grip loosened slightly, yet he held on. His brow furrowed deeply as he looked at her. "Come home with me." "I'd rather die on the streets than go back to the Larson residence," Kaia snarled, yanking her arm away. Samuel was furious with Kaia, his rationality swallowed by rage. Blinded by anger, he lashed out, kicking her leg. "Are you coming back or not?" He had only meant to punish her lightly, but to his shock, Kaia let out a sharp cry and crumpled to the ground. She clutched her injured leg with both hands, curling into a ball. Her face went deathly pale, and cold sweat beaded her forehead. Tears flooded down her face, and all she could manage were choked, wordless whimpers. Seeing her in such pain, Samuel felt a dull ache in his chest. Flustered, he snapped, "I barely kicked you. Stop faking." But his voice trembled, betraying his guilt. Kate gasped and crouched beside Kaia. "Ms. Larson! Ms. Larson! What's wrong?" The searing pain in her leg pulled Kaia back three years to her second year in prison. She couldn't remember why the inmates beat her that day, but she clearly recalled them towering over her, batons in hand, striking her lower leg again and again with savage brutality. Kaia had begged and sobbed, but they kept hitting her, smashing baton after baton—each as thick as an arm—until six of them had shattered, and her leg finally broke. It was only then that they stopped. The ringleader yanked her hair and hissed, "Don't even think about snitching to the guards. Let me make this clear—you pissed off the wrong people. Someone told us to teach you a lesson." Kaia's gaze grew distant, her body trembling violently as she repeated the same words over and over. "I was wrong. Spare me. I was wrong. Spare me…" Her voice was heavy with fear and despair, like the helpless whimper of a wounded animal. Kate was already in tears. Frantically, she asked, "Ms. Larson, what's wrong?" "It hurts… It hurts so much." Those words pierced Samuel's heart like needles. "I didn't even kick you that hard. How could you be in pain?" Without a word, Kate carefully rolled up Kaia's pant leg, ignoring Samuel. What she saw made her blood run cold. Kaia's lower leg was twisted at a sickening angle, the bone grotesquely deformed. Her skin was a patchwork of scars—some fresh and inflamed, others old and faded into gnarled ridges. The whole limb had withered. Her muscles had atrophied and withered from years of constant suffering. Next to her healthy leg, it looked as brittle as a dead branch. Samuel's gaze fixed on Kaia's mangled leg. His body stiffened, and his mind spun. "How did this happen? She was fine when she went to prison. Five years couldn't do this," he muttered. Then, as realization dawned, he fell silent. It was a prison—a place where criminals were locked away. How could an 18-year-old like Kaia possibly survive in there? Samuel's heart shattered into pieces, and his eyes reddened instantly. Gritting his teeth against the searing pain in his chest, he strode forward, scooped Kaia into his arms, and, without hesitation, rushed into the villa. His steps were hurried and frantic, but when he reached the living room, he realized he didn't even know which was Kaia's room. All these years, he'd cared so little for her. Samuel closed his eyes briefly. "Kate, where's Kaia's room?" "This way, Mr. Larson," Kate said hurriedly, leading him. Samuel followed close behind, but the farther they went, the deeper his frown became. He hadn't even known such a remote room existed in the house. Kate pushed open the door to the storage room, revealing a cramped, dim, and damp space. It was cluttered with junk and lacked even a window. Samuel's eyes widened. "Kaia lives here?"