Chapter 121: Not Heartless
"Orson, can you please tell me what happened?" Cammy’s voice trembled slightly as she stepped closer. "Was this because of his fight with Greg earlier? I swear, I never saw Greg hit him anywhere near his liver."
Deep inside, she was pleading for Orson to deny it. The last thing she wanted was for Greg to get into serious trouble because of her.
Orson hesitated, his jaw tightening as he studied her face. He wasn’t sure if this was something Duncan would want her to know. But as he took in the raw worry in her eyes, the way her fingers trembled ever so slightly at her sides, he knew she deserved the truth. She still cared—no matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise.
With a heavy sigh, Orson ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Alright, I’ll tell you. Duncan might kill me for this, but here it goes."
He glanced away for a second, almost as if preparing himself for a blowback, then finally met her gaze.
"After his fight with Greg, we went to Annie’s house. Duncan wanted to talk to her father—you know how desperate his situation is. He had to send Annie back after finding out that you and Dylan were still alive."
Cammy felt her stomach twist into knots. "And?"
Orson let out a dry chuckle, though there was no humor in it. "And Annie’s father was not happy to see him. I mean, what father would be? If someone had done the same thing to my daughter, I’d have beaten him half to death too."
Cammy’s throat tightened, dreading the rest. "So... he attacked Duncan?"
"He didn’t just attack him—he destroyed him," Orson muttered, his fists clenching. "Beat him so badly he could barely stand. And you know the worst part? Duncan just let him. Didn’t throw a single punch back. He took every hit, knowing he deserved it."
Cammy’s breath caught in her throat. She didn’t know what hurt more—the fact that Duncan had been beaten so mercilessly or the fact that he had simply accepted it.