Susan stepped into the room, her hand flying to her mouth. She didn't need to be told what had happened.
"Mark, let him go!" she said, her voice cracking.
Mark did not move. His knuckles hurt, covered in dark blood. He kept Alex pinned against the wall.
"How dare you," Mark hissed, his voice shaking with rage. "You're my brother."
Alex swallowed hard, barely able to speak. "I… I'm sorry," he stammered. "It was just sex."
That was enough. Mark drove a fist hard into his side.
Alex doubled over, coughing painfully as he slid down the wall. Clarisse shrank back into the headboard, weeping loudly and hiding her face in her hands.
Mark stood there, his chest rising and falling heavily. He stared at both of them as if he no longer recognized the people in front of him. Then he turned. Without another word, he walked out of the room.
At the doorway, Elena appeared and froze. "My God… Alex!" she gasped.
