Turning their heads, they saw Ruby lunging towards Marina with his hands clenched into fists and tears streaming down his cheeks. Marina turned and looked at him, her eyebrows arched down in confusion. Before Ruby could reach her and strike a punch, Marina stretched her arm towards him, coiling her hand around his neck. She pulled him close, then hoisted him off the ground, staring up at him with a sharp piercing gaze. "Are you confusing me for your mother?"
Her fingers dug into the soft flesh of Ruby's throat, her nails digging in like claws as the grip tightened. While wincing in pain, Ruby held Marina's hand, trying to loosen her grip, but his efforts were futile. He desperately struggled for oxygen in his limbs as he thrashed and kicked in vain.
