Morgan’s pupils constricted, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes.
Maya walked over and said coldly to the man at the door, “Luke, it’s so late.
What are you doing here?!”
Luke Larkin was the landlord’s nephew and had long been coveting Maya’s beauty.
But Maya disliked his thuggish demeanor and had clearly rejected his advances.
Luke glanced at Morgan and snorted, pushing him aside as he staggered toward Maya.
“Who is this man, and why is he in your room?
Did you two sleep together?”
Smelling the alcohol on him, Maya said coldly, “It’s none of your business!
Get out!”
Fueled by liquid courage, Luke ignored Maya’s words and reached out to grab her, but she swatted his hand away.
His eyes landed on the slightly open collar of her nightgown and her full bust, and a flame ignited in his gaze.
“Quit playing the chaste maiden.
Dressed so slutty, aren’t you just trying to hook a man?”
The foul language was unbearable.
Humiliated and furious, Maya raised her hand and slapped him across the face.
“Get out, or I’m calling the police!”
The slap only seemed to excite the drunken Luke.
Clutching his face, he sneered, “If he can sleep with you, so can I.
Maya, let me have you twice a month, and I’ll waive your rent.”
“You bastard, go sleep with your mother!
Now get the hell out!” Maya screamed, pointing at the door.
“Maya, don’t be ungrateful.
Plenty of women want me.
The fact that I’ve taken an interest in you is a compliment,” Luke said, staggering closer to her.
Maya had a fiery temper, but facing a drunken man, she still felt a flicker of fear.
After all, she couldn’t overpower him, and there was nowhere to run.
She was terrified Luke would do something reckless.
All she could do was back away, step by step, until the back of her legs hit the edge of the sofa and she fell onto it.
“Luke, if you dare try anything, I swear I’ll kill your whole family!”
“Oh yeah?
Let me have some fun first, then.
Maybe after you’ve had a taste of me, you won’t want me dead anymore.”
He lifted one leg, kneeling on the sofa beside Maya, and reached out to grab her nightgown.
The nightgown was cheap, and the drunk was strong.
With a single tug, the fabric tore with a loud RRRIP.
A patch of her snow-white skin was exposed.
Staring into Luke’s bloodshot, lust-filled eyes, Maya felt true fear.
Her body trembled uncontrollably, and even her voice shook as she resisted.
“Rape is a crime!
Do you have a death wish?!”
Luke fumbled with his belt buckle and leaned down, about to force himself on her.
“I just love your type—wild and feisty!”
Overcome with shame and fury, Maya raised her hands, struggling desperately against his advance.
After standing stunned for a moment, Morgan finally snapped back to reality.
‘Sister is being bullied!’
He let out a roar, rushed over in a few strides, and grabbed Luke by his clothes.
With all his might, he yanked the man up and threw him aside!
Then, he went berserk, raining down brutal punches and kicks on Luke.
“Don’t bully Sister!
Don’t bully Sister!
I’ll kill you!”
Luke wasn’t as big as Morgan, and he was drunk, leaving him completely powerless to fight back.
All he could do was howl in agony as he took one heavy blow after another.
Maya was badly shaken.
She hastily pulled a throw from the sofa to cover herself, her body still trembling with fear.
Seeing Luke’s face turn into a bruised and swollen mess, and realizing Morgan had no intention of stopping, she began to panic.
“Morgan, stop!
Stop hitting him!” she yelled.
Morgan was in a frenzy, seemingly deaf to her pleas.
The force of his blows didn’t lessen in the slightest.
‘A part of me wants Morgan to kill him,’ Maya thought, but she knew that couldn’t happen.
Casting aside her other concerns, she got up, clutching her torn nightgown, and ran over to wrap her arms tightly around Morgan.
“Morgan, stop!
You’re going to kill him!”
With his arms pinned by her hug, Morgan’s frenzied movements finally slowed.
He looked down at her.
The corners of his eyes were scarlet red, as if a bloodthirsty beast were hiding within them, making Maya flinch instinctively.
Maya steadied herself and soothed him in a gentle voice, “It’s okay, Morgan.
Stop now.”
In her desperation, she was hugging him so tightly that her half-exposed chest was pressed firmly against his sun-kissed arm.
Morgan’s gaze flickered to where their skin touched.
His face grew hot, and an irrepressible fire shot through his body.
Like a child caught doing something wrong, he quickly pushed Maya away, then turned to wrap the sofa blanket securely around her.
“He bullied Sister,” he said sullenly.
“He deserves to die.”
Maya was both touched and still shaken.
She said gently, “He does deserve it.
But if you kill him, you’ll die too.”
Morgan looked at the writhing form of Luke on the floor, a cold light flashing in his eyes.
“If he’s dead, he can’t bully Sister anymore.”
It was the first time anyone had ever protected her like this, and a warm feeling washed over her heart.
“But Sister doesn’t want to see you die with him.
You promised you would listen to me.
Are you breaking that promise now?”
Morgan looked a little ashamed.
After a moment of silence, he said, “Morgan will listen to Sister.”
Seeing that the scarlet in his eyes had faded and he had once again become that gentle, obedient little fool, Maya finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She went into the bathroom and changed into a long-sleeved shirt and pants.
When she came out, Luke was gone.
“I threw him downstairs!” Morgan announced, looking at her as if expecting praise.
Maya jumped in fright.
Luke had been beaten nearly unconscious; if something had happened to him after being thrown out, she couldn’t bear the consequences.
She quickly pulled open the door and ran downstairs.
She only let out a breath of relief when she saw Luke stumbling away in the distance.
With the lights off, Maya lay in bed, biting her fist as tears streamed down her face.
‘If that little fool hadn’t been here tonight, the consequences would have been unthinkable.’
‘No matter how tough a woman acts, her strength is no match for a man’s.
I was so scared.’
“Sister.”
Morgan’s voice broke the silence.
Maya sniffled.
Peeking through the bed curtain at his silhouette, she asked, her voice thick with emotion, “What is it?”
Morgan’s tone was earnest.
“Sister, I’ll protect you from now on.
Don’t be afraid.”
The urge to cry welled up in Maya again, and her words came out muffled.
“You little fool…
thank you.”
Morgan asked hesitantly, “He said…
he was your husband…
Is that true?”
“Of course not!” Maya denied instantly.
“He’s just a scoundrel!
He couldn’t get what he wanted, so now he’s spreading rumors!”
A look of joy slowly spread across Morgan’s face.
He whispered, “I knew it…
I’m the one who’s Sister’s husband, hmph.”
Maya: “…”
Then she remembered how she had repeatedly drilled it into him earlier that day—that he was her husband, and she was his wife.
Deciding not to argue, she just gave a distracted reply, “Right, right.
You’re my husband.
Now go to sleep.”
Maya drifted off into a troubled sleep.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when, half-awake, she heard a sound in the room.
She snapped fully awake and shot up in bed.
Seeing a dark figure standing before her bed curtain, she almost screamed.
“M-Morgan?” she called out tentatively.
Morgan’s voice immediately replied, “Sister.”
Maya pressed her back against the wall, her entire body on high alert.
‘Morgan is a grown man.
His mind might be immature, but his body is fully developed.
He must have the desires of an adult man…
Was it really safe for me to bring him home, to share a room with him?’
‘If he went berserk, he’d be even more dangerous than Luke, and I’d be even more helpless against him.’
‘I might like his handsome face, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to sleep with him.’
Maya swallowed hard, suppressing her panic.
“Why are you standing there in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?” she asked.
“Were you peeking at Sister?”
The dark figure outside shook his head and answered earnestly, “Morgan wasn’t peeking at Sister.
It’s just too hot; I can’t sleep.”
Only then did Maya let out a slow breath of relief.
It was the height of summer, and the small room was unbearably stuffy.
She was used to it, but Morgan clearly wasn’t.
She said, “Go wash your face with some cool water.
Just try to bear with it for tonight.
We’ll buy a fan tomorrow.”
Morgan grunted an “Oh” and went into the bathroom.
After a bit of rustling, he lay down on his sleeping mat again.
Her sleepiness completely gone, Maya lay wide awake.
She turned on her side and said through the curtain, “Morgan, you are not allowed to touch me without Sister’s permission, do you understand?”
“Morgan remembers.”
He answered obediently, but he couldn’t help but recall the feeling of being held so tightly by Sister.
‘I want that again.’
‘Everyone else avoids me.
Only Sister is willing to hold me, and she held me so tight.’
‘And…
Sister’s body is so soft.
I really want to hold her again.’
The scene flashed through the little fool’s mind, and his face burned hot in the darkness.