Lena stood frozen, her fingers clenched around the ring as if she were ready to storm out and **hunt the man down herself.** Her anger radiated through the small apartment, her protective instincts on full display.
Cherry had seen Lena angry before—but never like this.
Never this **fierce.** Never this **dangerous.**
And yet…
She couldn't let her go down this path.
Not when the truth was **more complicated than it seemed.**
Cherry took a shaky breath, wrapping her arms around herself as if she could hold herself together. "Lena, wait…"
Lena's head snapped toward her, eyes blazing. "Wait? Are you seriously telling me to wait?" She gestured wildly toward the ring. "Cherry, this man—whoever he is—needs to pay for what he did to you!"
Cherry swallowed, guilt twisting inside her.
Because even though she wanted to hate him—**she couldn't.**
She had seen something in his eyes that night.
**Desperation.**
**Agony.**
And something darker, something beyond his control.
"Lena," she whispered, her voice barely steady. "He was drugged."
Lena stilled.
Her fingers uncurled from the ring, her fury faltering just slightly. "What?"
Cherry bit her lip, staring down at the floor. "I… I didn't understand at first, either. But he wasn't himself. He wasn't… normal." She lifted her gaze, her own confusion swirling inside her. "He was out of control, Lena. He didn't know what he was doing."
Lena's expression hardened. "That doesn't change what happened."
Cherry knew that.
It didn't change the pain. It didn't change the fear. **It didn't erase the scars.**
But it did change something inside her.
"I don't think he meant to hurt me," she murmured.
Lena let out a sharp breath, dragging a hand through her hair. She paced the room, her anger now mixed with frustration. "And that makes it okay?"
Cherry shook her head. "No. It doesn't."
Because no matter what, it had happened.
She had still lost something that night.
But if he had been **drugged**, then… was he also a victim?
Lena's lips pressed into a thin line. "So what now?"
Cherry hesitated, glancing at the ring still clutched in Lena's hand.
That heirloom—it wasn't just **any ring.** It belonged to **someone powerful.**
And if she found out who he was…
Would he even remember her?