“Seriously, they did this to her?” Max stared in disbelief.
The sun was still low in the sky when Max looked at Gyx's body tied to the wooden pole. Her injuries looked worse than he had ever imagined—whip marks, burns, and bruises covered Gyx's back and arms.
The woman seemed to be having difficulty breathing, her chest rising and falling heavily, clearly in great pain.
Max swallowed hard. His heart was filled with unbearable guilt. He knew he couldn't let Gyx suffer any longer. Carefully, Max approached, his hands trembling as he touched the ropes binding Gyx's wrists.
“I don't know,” he said, annoyance mixed with indifference in his voice.
He took the risk of loosening the bonds on Gyx's body. It was a risky move, he knew that. Gyx was serving a punishment there, but what they were
