Chapter 40: Chapter 40

The back of Ray's clenched fist had blue veins popping out. His jaw tightened, so that one could see his cheekbones moving. "Don't you see I'm here? As long as I'm around, nothing will hurt her."

"You ... who are you?! This is none of your business!" Bryan struggled amidst Ray's grip on his collar. He didn't manage to shift an inch.

Bryan was beaten into a trance.

The dark abyss in Ray's eyes took a long time to recover, he got angry every time he remembered how scared Alexa looked. He almost beat Bryan to death, ignoring his battered face.

In fact, he has no fighting skills at all. The other party didn't seem to have expected this resistance either. That was why he exceled.

Between his torn lips, Bryan could still laugh. "Heh ... It turns out my guess was right, Lexa. I'm guessing this is your sex friend, right? Your taste is fine too."

He stopped, only to spit out a mouthful of blood.

Then continued, "I heard you were pregnant without a husband. I was just curious and wanted to check it myself  whether it is my child or not."

He wanted to sharply fuel Ray's anger, but stopped when he saw Ray's gloomy unhappy look. His entire body felt like it was being doused by freezing hail.

He was silent for a moment, his face pale. "Could it be that you ..."

His sentence was not completed because another blow was aimed at his face. This time it allowed his nose bone to crack. Seeing this continue, Alexa panicked.

"Ray, stop! No! You will kill him!"

Due to the sharper commotion, Fillo finally woke up and was frightened. "Mom ..."

"Ray, please, enough! He's passed out!" She shouted again. "Ray!"

Ray's hand stopped in the air. It was only then that he realized his knuckles were sore and somewhat numb. He let go of the collar of the man in front of him and staggered backwards. The darkness in his eyes had gradually recovered.

"Alexa? Are you okay? Fillo? You're not hurt, right?"

Alexa didn't know what to say, she shook her head. "Sorry, I'm sorry."

"Shhh, everything is fine. Don't be afraid."

Ray grabbed the shaking back and gave it a light hug. Seeing another man lying beneath him, he moved some distance away. His anger had subsided, but not completely disappeared.

"Let me call the police." Ray took out his phone.

"Your hands are bleeding."

"It's okay, it's not my blood."

Ray shook his numb hand a few times to relieve the pain. Rubbing Fillo's head with his other hand, he put his phone to his ear.

"Hello ..."

"Ray, watch out!"

Hearing the shout, Ray was distracted for a moment so he wasn't alert. A rock was aimed straight at his head. Instinctively, he looked down. He used his hands to protect his head well. His phone fell and broke on the ground. Meanwhile a rock hit his arm.

The sharp pain immediately blinded him. His mouth involuntarily groaned. He gripped the spot where the pain had arisen and slumped down.

"Ray? Ray! Are you okay? Ray!" Alexa touched his arm gently.

A large rock fell from Bryan's hand who was currently standing near them. Alexa stared at the man, her red eyes filled with anger.

But Bryan didn't care about that, he ran away before Ray could get up and hit him again.

"Daddy! Are you hurt? Daddy!" Fillo jumped from Alexa's arms and held Ray's hand.

Ray's gaze was still fixed in the direction where Bryan had gone until he completely disappeared around the corner.

"I'm okay, Peanut." He tried to smile, then said, "Alexa, help me to call Fran."

Alexa looked at his phone on the ground, only to find it completely dead, as was her phone. "No way, that thing is useless."

"Then take me inside. It's safer there."

She didn't think twice and pulled him to his feet. His body is very tall. Even though it's not too big, men still feel heavy in women's small arms. It took a long time until they reached the house. He immediately found a comfortable position on the couch and closed his eyes. He was sweating, which proved that he was in pain.

It didn't take long for bruises to adorn his injured arm. At first it was just a red bruise, which over time turned blue and purple.

There is a landline at her house. She asked Ray for Fran's number, but the man only remembered his driver number. So she asked the driver to contact Fran.

Fillo curled up alone in another chair, Ray motioned for him to come closer.

"Are you hurt?" Ray asked.

Fillo shook his head. "Daddy's hurt."

"It's okay. It doesn't hurt."

Alexa heard the conversation while preparing warm compress water. In the living room, Fillo put his head on Ray's thigh, while Ray still had his eyes closed.

"Fillo, sleep in your room. Mom will catch up with you later."

"Just leave him," said Ray.

His face was damp and pale. His long, black eyelashes trembled as the eyelids within moved. She took a paper tissue to wipe the sweat on his forehead which fell through his cheeks.

"Does it still hurt?" She threw away the tissue, instead wringing out a warm towel to compress.

Ray hissed, but didn't open his eyes.

"Are you sleeping?"

His eyes opened slowly. Those eyes were dark, as if their true color was not blue. His lids opened wistfully and he stared at her for a long time. "Alexa ..."

Alexa looked back at him.

Ray blinked. "That man ... is he Fillo's biological father?"

He remembered that she once said her ex-boyfriend was Bryan, had blue eyes too—but after he thought back on his face, it didn't look like Fillo at all. They look different.

Her head lowered. "Yes."

She accidentally pressed the towel harder and he was shocked. "Enough, Alexa. Better leave it. Fran can handle it."

"Do you sprain your arm?"

"Who knows."

In fact, there were many opportunities to avoid the battered Bryan, but Ray was unprepared and she was nearby at the time. If he dodged, she would be the one to receive the attack.

Remembering that made he grit his teeth. "Don't deal with him again in the future."

Alexa nodded.

"Would you ..." Ray stopped. Don't know how to say it.

"Why did you stop?"

Before he could explain, there was a harsh knock on the door from outside. Her body immediately stiffened. Could Bryan return? And he brought his friends? She didn't expect that Bryan would end up battered, the man would definitely take revenge.

"Don't open it," Ray said.

Just as the knocking stopped, the door burst open. In front of him currently stood a man; not Bryan at all. But it was Fran Ballmer, a young doctor at City Hospital, who was just thinking about asking for holiday leave to go abroad because he didn't have a job. His tired soul polluted the air quickly, making the atmosphere even more gloomy.

He glanced at the two from the door with a displeased expression on his face.

"You want to give me a heart attack?"

Behind him stood Adam who looked down innocently.

... to be continued ...