Clark's jacket was draped over Noelle's shoulders, and she sat with her head lowered.

She held the steaming cup of coffee the officer had given her, yet her body trembled uncontrollably. Clark had suffered a severe beating, outnumbered by the group. At first, he had held his own, but once they surrounded him, the fight quickly turned in their favor.

Noelle had tried to step in, but Clark had blocked her way. No one could've imagined what might have happened if the arcade staff hadn't intervened so quickly.

"I'm fine. Don't worry," Clark said, still giving his statement to the police. When he noticed how pale Noelle. looked, he gently took her hand.

Noelle finally lifted her gaze, intending to say something. Yet, she froze as if she'd seen something too terrifying to process. Her already pale face drained further, and her fingers turned icy cold.

Clark noticed and started to turn around, but a hand landed on Noelle's shoulder before he could check

"I'm here to bail her out," Hendrix said, his voice calm and cool. A faint smile played on his face, adding to his quiet, composed demeanor.

The officer raised an eyebrow. "You are..."

Hendrix glanced at Noelle, his gaze briefly sweeping over her before settling on Clark's hand, still holding hers.

For a brief moment, Hendrix lost his calm but quickly regained his composure. He smiled faintly and said, "I'm her ex-husband."

The officer's expression shifted. Before he could speak, someone from the office stepped out. "Mr. Freeman! Good to see you."

After a brief exchange, the officer handed Hendrix the bail papers, and he signed them without hesitation. "Let's go," Hendrix said to Noelle.noveldrama

His voice remained calm and gentle, but there was something in his deep eyes-a gaze that only Noelle could understand.

A strange fear crept over her.

"You go ahead. Don't worry. My dad will be here soon, and Ill be fine," Clark said with his usual carefree attitude. He turned to Hendrix and added, "Thanks, Mr. Freeman. Since you're already here, could you take her home?" Clark said it as though Noelle were his to take care of.

Hendrix listened quietly, then gave a faint, unexpected smile. "Sure."

"Oh, I almost forgot." Clark reached behind him and pulled but a pink teddy bear. "Here. For you."

The pink teddy bear seemed to grin at her, but Noelle couldn't bring herself to smile.

"Thanks," she murmured. She tried to reach for it, but Hendrix reached out faster.

He grabbed the teddy bear and slipped Clark's jacket off Noelle's shoulders before handing it back.

Without a word, he took Noelle's hand and started walking His grip was so firm that it felt like her hand might break.

She tried to pull away, but his hold tightened even more. Eventually, Noelle stopped resisting.

Hendrix's steps were long and quick, and she stumbled to keep up.

Dan was waiting outside the police station. When he saw Hendrix's dark, stormy expression, an uneasy feeling crept over him.