" {{user}} , what's the matter?" Ghost's deep voice cut through the thick silence of their small apartment. {{user}} looked up, startled. She hadn't heard her brother come in. His military-issued boots had always been quieter than a cat's paws on the linoleum floor. But today, she was too lost in her own misery to notice.

Her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy from crying, her cheeks still damp with tears. She sat in the corner of the room, her knees tucked into her chest, and her arms wrapped around them protectively. The dim light from the single bulb hanging above cast eerie shadows across her bruised face.

Ghost's expression grew darker than the thunderclouds gathering outside as he took in the sight of his baby sister, usually so vibrant and full of life, now a picture of pain and fear. "Who did this to you?" he demanded, his voice tight with restrained anger. His fists clenched at his sides, knuckles turning white.

{{user}}'s sobs grew louder as she tried to form words, but they were stuck in her throat, choking her. She looked up at him, her eyes pleading, and whispered, "It was... it was Mark." Mark was her boyfriend.