Sonia's trembling hands rushed for her small phone in her trouser pocket. She dialled Deminan's number with shaking fingers, her eyes brimming with tears. The phone rang several times before Deminan's deep voice answered.

"Hello?" he said, sounding calm and relaxed.

Sonia took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. "Hello... please come..." Her voice cracked as she struggled to speak.

Deminan's tone changed from calm to concerned. "Sonia, what's wrong? What's going on?"

Sonia's words tumbled out in a rush. "Something happened... he's dead... I killed him... I... I..." Her voice trailed off as she trembled with fear and tears.

Deminan's response was laced with skepticism. "Who died, Sonia? What are you talking about?" He sounded like he didn't believe her, like he thought she was joking or exaggerating.

Sonia's sobs grew louder, her body shaking uncontrollably. She couldn't speak, couldn't explain. All she could do was cry.

Deminan's tone changed again, this time to one of urgency. "Sonia, Sonia, calm down! I'm coming over. Just stay there, okay?" He didn't wait for her response, ending the call abruptly.

Sonia collapsed onto the floor, her phone slipping from her fingers. She lay there, surrounded by the eerie silence of her small house, her mind reeling with the consequences of her actions.

Meanwhile, Deminan sprang into action. He grabbed his jacket and rushed outside of his apartment, shouting to his old grandma, "I'll be back, need to go see Sonia, something urgent!" He didn't wait for her response, rushing out of the gate and sprinting towards the subway.

The bus ride seemed to take forever, Deminan's mind racing with thoughts of Sonia and what could have happened. As soon as the bus stopped, he jumped out and ran towards Sonia's little house.

"Sonia!" his coarse voice shouted as he walked inside. The unusual quiet atmosphere hit him like a slap in the face. Something was off. Deminan's heart sank as he frantically searched for Sonia, his eyes scanning the empty rooms.

As Deminan walked into the garage, he was met with a sight that made his blood run cold. Sonia was sitting on the floor, her back against the wall, and her eyes fixed on something in front of her. Deminan's gaze followed hers, and he saw the lifeless body of Mr. Thompson Sean, Sonia's stepfather, lying a few meters away from her.

Deminan's mind struggled to process what he was seeing. He had known Sonia since they were kids, and he was aware of the physical abuse she had suffered at the hands of her stepfather. But he had never imagined that it would come to this.

Sonia's sobbing grew louder as Deminan approached her. "I didn't kill him," she said, her voice shaking with fear. "Soon the police will arrive here, I don't want to go to jail, I did not kill him, I really didn't, it was self-defence, nothing more."

Deminan's eyes were fixed on Sonia's face, and he could see the terror in her eyes. He knew that he had to act fast, to protect her from the consequences of her actions. He slowly walked towards her, his hands held out in a calming gesture.

"Calm down, Sonia," he said, his voice soft and soothing. "Tell me, did you tell anyone about this apart from me?"

Sonia shook her head, her eyes still fixed on Deminan's face. "No...no..."

Deminan's mind was racing with thoughts of what to do next. He knew that they had to get rid of the body, to avoid any suspicion. He looked around the garage, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of evidence.

As he looked at his watch, he saw that it was already 9 pm. He knew that they had to act fast, before the police arrived. He spotted a shovel in the corner of the garage and quickly grabbed it.

"I'll take care of this," he said to Sonia, his voice firm and resolute. "You just stay here and try to calm down."

Sonia nodded, her eyes still fixed on Deminan's face. She watched as he walked towards the spot where her stepfather's body lay, the shovel held tightly in his hand.

Deminan began to dig a grave, the sound of the shovel hitting the ground echoing through the garage. Sonia watched in horror as he dug deeper and deeper, the hole growing larger and larger.

As the minutes ticked by, Deminan finally finished digging the grave. He walked towards Sonia's stepfather's body and began to drag it towards the hole. Sonia closed her eyes, unable to watch as Deminan threw the body into the grave.

The sound of the shovel hitting the ground again echoed through the garage as Deminan began to cover the body with sand. Sonia opened her eyes, watching in a daze as Deminan worked tirelessly to cover up the evidence.

As the hours passed, Deminan finally finished burying the body. He looked at his watch and saw that it was already 11:30 pm. He walked towards Sonia, who was still sitting on the floor, her eyes fixed on the spot where her stepfather's body lay.

"Get up, Sonia," Deminan said, his voice soft and gentle. "Let's get you inside."

Sonia nodded, her eyes still fixed on the spot where her stepfather's body lay. Deminan assisted her in getting up, and they both walked towards the house, the silence between them palpable.

As they entered the house, Deminan looked at Sonia with concern. "I can see that you're shaken," he said. "But we need to talk about what happened. Are you okay to talk about it?"

Sonia nodded, her eyes still fixed on Deminan's face. "I...I don't know," she stammered. "I just know that I didn't mean to kill him. It was self-defence, I swear."

Deminan nodded, his expression calm and reassuring. "I believe you, Sonia," he said. "And I'll do everything in my power to protect you. But we need to be careful. We can't let anyone know what happened."

Sonia nodded, her eyes still fixed on Deminan's face. "I won't say anything," she promised. "I'll do whatever you say."

Deminan smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "I'll take care of everything," he said. "You just need to take care of yourself."

As Deminan spoke, Sonia felt a sense of relief wash over her. She knew that she could trust Deminan, that he would do everything in his power to protect her. And as she looked at him, she felt a sense of gratitude towards him, towards this man who had risked everything to save her.