Chapter 109

• My diaphragm protested with sharp, stabbing pains each time I tried to gulp for air, and my lungs pressed against it too hard, forcing me to breathe shallowly to avoid provoking any more discomfort. I realized that this agony stemmed from a kick I had received earlier, right between my ribs and my stomach, for not complying with the female officer's demands.
• I watched as she walked away from the police car where I had just been shoved inside, her stature short and burly and her age apparently in her late thirties. I bristled with indignation, my eyes burning with fury as I glared at the back of this cruel woman. She seemed to take pride in her oppressive behavior as she made her way toward another officer standing nearby, her stubby arms sticking out from her sides, held almost at shoulder level. Her smug facial expressions only accentuated her sense of superiority, as if she wore it like a badge of honor.
• However, my anger rapidly shifted to concern as I scanned the crowd of people bustling around me, desperate to catch a glimpse of Xavier. When I finally did spot him, I had to do a double-take at the figure kneeling on my father's meticulously maintained lawn. He resembled Xavier, but something was off. No, this wasn't the Xavier I knew—the brooding, indifferent, and often angry man I would have chosen over this broken man who now bowed his head in defeat. This was someone entirely different; this was not my Xavier.