It was during that turbulent year that she met Cedric, a man who seemed, at the time, to be her beacon of hope.
To repay the debts she owed her relatives, Dione worked tirelessly, juggling two jobs every single day. One fateful night, after dragging herself through a grueling shift, she found herself cornered in a dim alley by a group of drunken thugs.
It was Cedric who came to her rescue. He fought valiantly, his fists doing the talking, until the chaos ended with everyone hauled to the police station.
When the police asked Dione to call her parents, silence fell over her. Unable to speak, she lowered her gaze as they checked her ID. The room grew eerily quiet when they discovered the truth about her parents.
Cedric, despite enduring punches that left his face swollen beyond recognition, never shed a tear. But when he learned that Dione had lost both her parents and was braving the world alone, his composure crumbled. Silent tears streaked down his bruised face; he couldn’t fathom how much pain she had endured in solitude.
From that moment on, Cedric made it his mission to be Dione’s protector during the long night shifts, always ensuring she made it home safely.