These terrifying thoughts felt like they took hours to process, but in reality, only a fraction of a second had passed.

She heard Keith’s warning shout, saw the masked man lunge from the bushes, and watched the liquid arc through the air toward her face. It all happened in the blink of

an eye.

Then, just as the man’s twisted face came into focus and the liquid was inches from hitting her, a blur of motion intercepted the attack.

It was Keith.

He threw himself in front of Amara, throwing his arms wide to shield her. The entire contents of the bucket hit his back and shoulder with a sickening splash.

“Ah!”

Amara screamed in horror.

Bystanders on the street erupted into shrieks of panic.

“Keith!”

A wave of intense heat washed over Amara’s face as she scrambled to check on him.

Keith stood in front of her, completely drenched, steam rising off his clothes in the chilly air.

His thick down jacket had absorbed most of the liquid, but the exposed skin on his neck was already turning a violent, angry red. Vicious blisters were bubbling up on his skin right before her eyes.

Amara gasped in horror. “Water! It’s boiling water!”

The liquid from the bucket wasn’t acid-it was scalding hot water!

While not instantly fatal like a chemical corrosive, boiling water could easily cause life-threatening burns.

Even if he survived, the severe scalding could lead to permanent disfigurement or disability!

Thank God it was winter. Keith’s heavy jacket had taken the brunt of the hit, and because he had spun around to shield her, only his neck

had been exposed to the blast is body was safe under the thick padding.

Amara couldn’t even fathom what would have happened if it were summer and he had only been wearing a T-shirt.

Or worse, what if he had faced the attacker? What if that boiling water had hit him directly in the face?

He was an actor. If his face was destroyed by severe burns, his career would be

over.

But even if he wasn’t an actor, the sheer agony of being permanently disfigured was a fate worse than death.

A thousand horrifying scenarios raced through Amara’s mind in that split second.

She was overwhelmed by terror, burning rage, and a crushing wave of delayed fear.

What if Keith hadn’t been there? That boiling water attack would have hit her square in the face.

Her heart pounded erratically

against her ribs, the sheer horror of he whatifs, stealing the breath from her lungs.

“Keith, are you okay?!” Amara snapped back to reality, desperately grabbing his

arm.

She looked at his neck. The skin was a horrific, blistering red.

And as the seconds passed, fluid-filled sacs swelled on his flesh. Just looking at it made Amara’s chest ache.

Keith was a tough guy with an

incredibly high pain tolerance, but right now, his face was contorted in agony Cold sweat was pouring down his forehead. He was early in excruciating pain.

Tears immediately welled up in Amara’s eyes.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

Keith forced out, the instinct to comfort her overriding his own agony.