Bella's POV
Lust blazed in Lucius's stare—raw and desperate, like he might lose control any second. I wasn't some innocent girl anymore; I could read him like an open book.
And then came the rage.
What gave him the right to humiliate me like this? Just because I'd once loved him—did that mean he could walk all over my feelings?
Every emotion I'd bottled up exploded.
I didn't hesitate. My hand flew up and cracked across his face, hard.
"You think I'm still that same Bella from years ago?"
The slap echoed sharp and clear as his head snapped to the side.
Shock flooded his eyes. Bella—the Bella who used to worship the ground he walked on—had just struck him.
He lifted his hand slowly to his burning cheek, stunned. He couldn't process it. How had all her warmth vanished overnight?
"Move," I said, my voice ice-cold—colder than he'd ever heard it. But this time, something else crept in: revulsion.
