Chapter 480
Anthony stared at the photo of the little girl, someone so familiar it made his chest ache. For a moment, his mind felt foggy, but then all those broken memories started fitting together, clear as day.
Everything came rushing back.
Five years ago.
He’d been tagging along with his grandma at a charity event in a psychiatric hospital in Cabinda. The place was stuffy, so he slipped out, looking for some air and quiet. He ended up on the rooftop, far away from the noise below.
He pulled out a cigarette, rolling it between his fingers, but before he could light it, something caught his eye. In the far corner of the rooftop, where the ground was wet and the shadows thick, a tiny kid crouched alone. Her head was shaved, her clothes were thin and dirty, and her face was streaked with grime. She was clutching a long wooden stick like it was a lifeline, her big eyes shining with a mix of fear and stubborn hope.
Anthony wasn’t the type to get involved. Usually, he kept his distance. But when he saw her looking up at him, something inside him just… shifted. He couldn’t help it. He started walking over.
She shrank back, pressed tight against the wall. As he got closer, he saw the scrapes and bruises on her arms and face. The hospital gown told him enough. She was a patient.
“Hey. I’m not here to hurt you,” Anthony said softly. He crouched down, trying to make himself less scary. “What’s your name? Why are you hiding out here?”
The little girl didn’t say a word. She hugged her knees, eyes wary, watching every move he made.
“It’s wet here. Aren’t you cold?” He tried again, gentler this time. “Let me help you out, okay?”
Anthony shrugged off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders, careful and slow. That small gesture made her pause. She glanced up at him, tears glistening in her eyes, like she wanted to believe he meant it. After a few seconds, she reached out, her hand trembling.
He hesitated, just for a second, noticing how her hand was stained with dirt and traces of blood. Still, he took her hand in his.
Right then the heavy door bat open behind them. Footsteps pounded across the concrete, and man’s voice called out, breathless, “Mike, I found her!”
A group of men in white coats rushed over.
“Anthony,” one of them greeted.
Before Anthony could get a word out, the girl squeezed his hand so tight it almost
hurt, then hid behind him, peeking out with wide, scared eyes.
The man who’d spoken first, Mike, hurried to explain. “Anthony, she’s one of our patients. She’s got severe delusions, sometimes violent. Today she had an episode attacked her doctor, and ran off. We didn’think she’d make it all the way up here.” He shot the girl a hard look, then turned back to Anthony. “Hope she didn’t bother you.”
Anthony looked down at the little girl, then at the stick she still gripped. His brow furrowed. “She hurt someone?”
Mike nodded, pulling a doctor with a bruised face forward. “Yeah. We’ll take her back for treatment right away.”
At that, the girl’s grip tightened even more. She didn’t say anything, but her fear was obvious.
Anthony kept his voice steady.
“She’s just a kid. Don’t treat her like an adult And make sure someone. looks at her wounds. She’s hurt too.”
Mike nodded quickly. “Of course, Anthony.”
“And take care of her,” Anthony said, glancing down at the girl. “I’ll come check on
her when I can.”