Chapter 9 I'll Protect You

• All Anne had ever wanted was to find someone who would love and cherish her. When she was tired, hurt, or sad, she wanted to have a shoulder to cry on.
• It was just a small, insignificant wish; why was it so hard to fulfill?
• She and Shayne were from prominent families; they were also childhood sweethearts. Their relationship had been her only source of emotional connection.
• Why did Amy want to take even this little bit of happiness away from her?
• Anne refused to acknowledge that she had lost out to Amy, but she was unable to keep from feeling the sense of emptiness that came after having lost everything. She kept walking blindly.
• Where could she go?
• Grandpa loved her, but he also despised the fact that the Lloyd family's blood ran in her veins. Her face reminded him of her mother every time he saw her. Right now, she could not face the old man who was so obsessed over his dead daughter.
• The Lloyd residence belonged to Jaiden and Amy; there was no place for her there anymore. They had formed a proper family with Harper now! She had now truly become an outsider.
• Anne's face was wet with tears. She was aware that crying was a sign of weakness, but she could not keep her tears from falling.
• She did not know how long she had walked or how far. Her legs were numb from fatigue, as numb as her lacerated heart. After a while, she crouched by the roadside and wrapped her arms around her knees, staring at the tarmac like a forlorn, pitiful child.
• A line of ants was busily moving their nest. Anne suddenly realized that she could not even compare herself with these tiny creatures. The ants had a nest to call home, but what about her? She had nowhere to go.
• Dimly, she heard the sound of a car's engine. It seemed to be heading in her direction.
• Anne did not look up, nor did she try to move away. She figured that since she was crouching down on the pedestrian walkway, she would not be obstructing passing traffic. All she needed was that tiny bit of space to catch her breath and recover from the numerous hurts inflicted upon her. However small, just that little bit of breathing space was enough.
• The car stopped in front of her.
• The next thing she saw from her vantage point was a pair of military boots under the trousers of a military uniform. Was this a soldier?
• Anne's brow knitted together slightly, and she looked up in some confusion. Her teary-eyed gaze locked onto a familiar face and its warm, yet stern expression.
• "Un-Uncle Zeke?" Anne's voice was little more than a hoarse rasp.
• Zeke's heart stopped for a moment. From afar, he thought he had been mistaken until he approached Anne and saw the hurt, hopeless expression on her face when she looked up. His calm deserted him at once; it felt as if an invisible hand was tightly clutching at his chest.
• "What on earth have you been doing in just a few short hours to get yourself into such a state?" Zeke shoved his hands into his pockets, and his fingers curled into fists. He was afraid he would not be able to prevent himself from pulling her into his arms. It was heart-wrenching to look at her swollen, tear-filled eyes.
• Anne already felt that she was being unjustly persecuted as if the entire world had decided to abandon her. Not only was she feeling sorry for herself, but she was also so unhappy she wanted to die.
• The moment she saw Zeke, however, her grievances overcame her like a flood. Abruptly, she stood up and ran headlong into Zeke's arms. Tears poured down her cheeks, soaking his shirt in an instant.
• "Uncle Zeke…" All her grievances and sadness bubbled up, catching in her throat. In the end, she could only manage those two words and broke down in a fit of uncontrollable sobs.
• Zeke's entire body froze at once. He was aware that Anne currently treated him as nothing more than someone older to whom she could air her grievances. Nonetheless, her sudden tumble into his arms was still a shock.
• He clenched and unclenched his fists in his pockets repeatedly…
• In the end, he drew his hands out and wrapped his arms around her tightly.
• "They're being mean to me! They're all trying to bully me, Uncle Zeke!" Anne wept like a child. It was as if time had stopped, and she was still only four or five years old.
• Zeke lightly patted her shoulder, exactly like he had done a decade or more ago. "Cry as much as you want. When you're done, I want you to pull yourself together. Whatever they do to bully you, I'll do the same to them. If the sky falls, I'll be your shield and protect you."
• Zeke's gaze glittered coldly like a steel blade. He would never forgive anyone who caused his beloved Anne to weep like this, no matter who they might be!
• Anne kept sobbing uncontrollably for a while. At last, her tears subsided, and she gradually quieted down in Zeke's arms. She only realized what she had done as she regained her composure.
• She was twenty-two years old this year, but she had broken down in tears on a public street just like a child, holding onto Zeke for dear life and crying her eyes out. What on earth was she thinking?
• Anne tried to wriggle out of Zeke's embrace but discovered that his arms were far too strong and muscled. She could not budge them at all.
• "I won't cry anymore, Uncle Zeke." Her voice was a mere wisp of sound, hoarse from all that crying. She sounded truly pitiful.
• "Get in!" Zeke forcibly tugged Anne toward the car with him.
• Anne gave a sudden hiss, involuntarily jerking her arm back slightly.
• "What's wrong?" Zeke's brows knitted together, his eyes going to the back of her hand.
• A gash about half an inch long marred the surface of her skin. It had already stopped bleeding, but the exertion just now had caused the wound to ooze tiny drops of blood again.
• Zeke's expression immediately became grim, and an unsettling chill seemed to envelop him. "Who did this?"
• Anne awkwardly pulled her hand away and hastily hid it behind her back. "It's no big deal. It'll be okay in a few days," she murmured.
• The tone of her voice was light, as if a wound like this were commonplace and not worth mentioning. Nonetheless, Zeke's expression grew even grimmer.