“Pay the rent or get out!”

Samuel stood over the bed, chest heaving, hands half-curled like he hadn’t realized what they’d done until witnesses arrived. Evelyn was on the floor, one hand pressed to her face, the other bracing her stomach.

For a long beat, nobody spoke.

Then one officer stepped forward, voice controlled and sharp. “Sir. Back away. Now.”

Samuel’s bravado flickered. “I didn’t—she just—” he started, words stumbling. When the officer reached for his arm, Samuel jerked back—not with confidence, but with sudden, skittish fear. “Don’t touch me,” he muttered, his voice shrinking.

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