Chapter 28

• Althea stood there, her hand still throbbing from the stinging impact of the slap she had just received.
• She found herself at a loss for words, unable to form a coherent response as the shock of the situation coursed through her. "Oh, oh I…" she stammered.
• Darian, standing there with a dark and brooding expression, swiftly seized her injured hand with a vise-like grip, causing an involuntary wince of pain to cross her features. His voice, low and menacing, sliced through the tension-filled air as he taunted her, his words dripping with contempt.