Gideon's POV
Gideon's face twisted with murderous rage as he moved closer, threatening. He'd never forgive anyone who dared to harm Ivy.
Elsie waved her hands desperately, only managing muffled, incomprehensible sounds.
Gideon frowned. That's when it hit him—Elsie had no tongue.
"What happened to your tongue?" Gideon's voice shook as ice crawled up his spine.
He thought, 'Even if those traffickers sold Elsie, with her beauty, she would've ended up as someone's mistress at worst, or maybe trapped in a whorehouse.
'How did she wind up like this—tongue severed, barely recognizable as human?'
Beyond that, Gideon spotted the scars marking Elsie's wrists. Someone had clearly tortured her.
Gideon stared at Elsie in complete confusion, his thoughts spinning with questions he couldn't answer.
Elsie collapsed to her knees, making frantic, garbled sounds but couldn't speak a single word.
