The Divorced Military Queen Awakens (by Sadie Baxter) novel Chapter 655

Chapter 655 Cornered Prey

Chapter 655 Cornered Prey

Blow after blow slammed into her ribs, shoulders, and back.

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Gasping, she twisted through the tight circle, searching for the smallest ga

might let her bolt.

“Dawn Whitethorn, stop right there, you little thief!”

She did the opposite, legs pumping harder, fear sharpening into unbroken velocity.

In a blur, she shot past the rusted gate and out of the orphanage grounds.

Dawn had no idea how long she kept running. She only slowed when a familiar figure–Bowen Hartley- appeared ahead, forcing her feet to skid to a halt.

Bowen was not alone; a stylish young woman stood inches from him, her posture dripping practiced confidence.

With a slow, almost predatory motion, the woman hooked one manicured finger beneath the boy’s chin, tilting his face into the light so she could study each delicate line. “Look at you,” she murmured, voice thick with greedy fascination. “Already sinfully handsome, and you’ve not even grown yet. When you do, you’ll be worth a fortune. How about selling me your first time? I’ll pay handsomely.”

“Get lost,” Bowen said, each syllable edged in ice.

“Why are you so mad, handsome?” she cooed, leaning in so close her perfume slid over him like oil. “I promise I’d make you feel wonderful.”

The next instant, a piercing scream cut through the alley. Bowen had seized the very hand that dared touch him, bending her fingers back until the joints threatened to snap.

“Wait–please! Forget I ever said a word. Just… let go!” she squealed, desperation swallowing her earlier bravado.

aging her bruised

Bowen unclenched, dropping her hand as if it were diseased. The woman hiss fingers. “One day you’ll come crawling to me–see if I help then! she spat, her so heels hammering down the corridor.

Bowen pressed his lips together, saying nothing. Instead he turned, eyes settling on Dawn standing a short distance away.

The older he grew, the more he sensed a shift in the air around him. Glances lingered too long, whispers thickened whenever he passed. To them, he was no boy at all, only a slab of tender meat waiting for the highest bidder.

In this place, they liked to say that a prostitute’s child would grow into a prostitute–fate, they called it.

Yet Bowen refused to spend his life peddling flesh, refused to become the mirror image of his mother.

Normally, he would have shrugged off the woman’s mock caresses. But not today. Dawn was watching, and he could not bear for her to glimpse that ugliness.

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Chapter 655 Cornered Prey

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He strode to her, only to halt when the red swelling on her cheek caught the light. Brows knitting, he asked, “Why are you here? Did someone hit you?”

“They accused me of stealing,” Dawn said, grinning despite the bruise caught only a few punches, see?”

beat me, but I ran fast-

Bowen studied the little girl before him. She looked battered, yes, but some fierce spark of life blazed behind her smile. That vitality stood in brutal contrast to the rot that clung to every corner of this district.

“By the way, what’s a first time? That lady wanted to b

with curiosity.

y yours. Why did you say no?” she asked, eyes

wide

A rare blush crept across Bowen’s pale face. “You…don’t need to know,” he muttered. “And I’m not selling- ever.”

“Is it something wonderful? When I make money someday, will you sell it to me instead?” she said, utterly sincere.

Her adorable face brimmed with innocence, and those ink–dark, phoenix–shaped eyes glittered like a summer night spangled with stars.

Bowen’s cheeks burned hotter. The kid had no idea what she was talking about.

Yet this time, he did not say no.

He cleared his throat and steered the conversation away. “So, who accused you of stealing?”

“Kids from the orphanage,” she said. “Bowen, I have to go back. See you!”

“Back? Aren’t you afraid they’ll hit you again?” he called after her.

“I’m not afraid–my mom is there.” Even if it meant another beating, she would return.

When Dawn stepped back through the orphanage gates, she found the vice director scolding the children who had hit her. Beside him stood a neatly dressed, middle–aged man.

The vice director bowed repeatedly to the stranger, murmuring apologies. “Yo.mustn’t run off like that!” he exclaimed, hurrying toward Dawn the moment he saw her. /Mr. Arnold’s assistant is here today to finalize your adoption papers!”

Dawn tipped back her small head, charcoal–dark eyes shining with stubborn fire. “I… I already have a mom. I don’t want anyone else to adopt me!”

The assistant’s brows knitted, the crease between them carving a sharp line of impatience across his otherwise polished face.

A nurse burst from the ward, sneakers squeaking on the vinyl floor. Her voice cracked as she called, “Oh no! That coma patient-

Dawn’s pulse spiked. “What happened to my mom?” she cried, terror stripping away every ounce of composure.

Still ignoring the child, the nurse faced the vice director and blurted, “The patient’s condition just took a nosedive. Our equipment can’t handle it.”

Before anyone could stop her, Dawn spun on her heel and bolted to slapping out a frantic rhythm down the corridor.

e care unit, thin slippers

I have to see Mom. Mom can’t leave me–she just can’t.

The adults exchanged startled glances, then hurried after the child, shoes thudding like muffled drums in the sterile hall.

Dawn burst into the room and froze. Her mother–usually motionless–was jerking violently against the sheets. Monitors screeched with piercing alarms, scarlet numbers spilling across the screens like warning flares.