Viya's POV
I never expected him to defend me like this—to disregard the Hawthorne family's reputation so completely for my sake.
In my memory, scenes like this only existed when I was a child.
He used to stand up for me constantly back then. Protected me from everyone and everything.
No one was allowed to bully me.
Caesar was incredibly skilled in combat, but the first time he ever got seriously hurt was because of me.
I was fourteen or fifteen—that age when first crushes bloom and everything feels raw and new.
The school bully wouldn't leave me alone, following me everywhere, making my life miserable. Caesar caught him harassing me one day and dragged the guy into an alley without a second thought. Beat him bloody.
When Caesar emerged from that alley, blood was s
