Chapter 2 - The Cage of GoldWhen the bag was pulled off, Briar gasped, stumbling backward until her legs hit a plush, velvet-covered sofa.
She was no longer in the dingy Brooklyn clinic. She stood in a sprawling, multi-million-dollar penthouse overlooking the glittering Manhattan skyline. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls framed the city like a cinematic masterpiece. But Briar’s eyes weren't on the view. They were locked on the corner of the room.
There lay Goliath.
He was an absolute monster of a dog—a massive Cane Corso mixed with a Mastiff, easily weighing a hundred and fifty pounds. His ribs jutted sharply against his dark, patchy fur. His breathing was shallow, rhythmic, and agonizingly weak.
"Goliath," Damien called out softly, a tone so tender it felt entirely out of place coming from a monster of a man. The dog didn't even twitch an ear.
Briar forgot her fear. Her instincts as a healer overrode her panic. She walked slowly toward the corner, ignoring the armed guards stationed by the elevator.
"Don't touch him," one guard barked, reaching for his holster.
"Stand down," Damien ordered quietly, never taking his eyes off Briar.
Briar knelt a few feet away from the massive beast. She didn't reach out to pet him. She just watched. And then, she saw it—the dull, clouded film over the dog's eyes. It wasn't just physical starvation. It was a profound, suffocating despair. The look of a soul that had given up the fight.
Briar’s chest tightened. She reached up and unconsciously touched the fading bruise hidden beneath the collar of her shirt—a souvenir from Corbin, her abusive ex who had tracked her down twice this month alone. I know that look, Briar thought. I see it in the mirror every morning.
"You miss him, don't you?" Briar whispered softly, her voice cracking. "Your old life. Or maybe... you're just tired of fighting for people who only use you."
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Goliath’s massive head suddenly twitched. A low, vibrating rumble stirred deep within his chest.
Damien’s eyes widened in disbelief. For thirty days, not a single sound had escaped the animal.
