Chapter 30

Brandon sneered and threw a punch at my face. I was sent flying over six feet away, crashing hard to the ground. It felt like being struck by a giant hammer. My brain went blank, and everything was a blur. "Get him! If he dies, it's on me," Brandon barked, and his men rushed in again, surrounding me. A storm of fists and kicks came down on me. Despite my efforts to get up, I was completely powerless. I wasn't even sure how bad I looked after getting beaten up, but I was aware that blood and saliva were spilling from my mouth. Every inch of me hurt inside and out. The excavator started again, and soon, it reached my mom's coffin. With blurred vision, I crawled toward the grave, but boots came down on my body and my head as I did so. "Stop, please, stop hitting him! I give up! I give up. Don't touch my wife's coffin. I'll do it myself." My father, who had been sitting numbly on the ground, suddenly came to his senses. He scrambled toward me, desperately pleading with Brandon an