Soraya's POV
I stepped forward, every muscle in my body coiled and ready. If these soldiers wanted trouble today, they were going to meet a side of me I'd tried so hard to bury.
The leader—broad shoulders, steel badge, a permanent scowl—shoved Pa James backward.
Pa James stumbled.
I moved instantly.
But before I could reach him—
"DON'T TOUCH PA JAMES!"
A tiny voice bolted past me.
"Liam—!" I gasped.
My four-year-old son charged forward with all the courage his little heart could hold and pushed the soldier with his small hands. The men burst into laughter.
One of them shoved him back—hard.
But Pa James caught him in time before he hit the ground.
That was it.
Something inside me snapped.
I saw red.
I lunged at the soldier before he even finished laughing. My hand shot out—grabbing his wrist—and with one sharp twist—
CRACK.
He screamed so loudly the birds scattered from the nearby trees.
Gasps echoed around us. Even Jenny froze mid-breath, eyes wide.
