Ten long years. So many grievances were swallowed, and so much pain endured. Through it all, the one belief that had kept me going was seeing him again.
If bringing Callum back meant throwing myself into the fire, I would do it without hesitation.
Still drifting in memory, I barely realized when I woke again, only to feel a hard shove. Jaxon had pushed me away.
Caught off guard, I hit the floor, the back of my head slamming hard. Pain pulsed through my skull as I clutched it.
His cold voice rang out above me.
“Don’t flatter yourself. This was just compensation.”
Murmurs rippled through the guests nearby.
“Give her a drop of kindness, and she wants to drown in it. Bootlickers are all the same.”
“Young Master Jaxon is too soft. She’s already clinging to his leg like a leech. Disgusting.”
“Young Master Jaxon, don’t bother with someone like her. She’s marrying into the Montgomery family, right? Just let them take her already.”
I struggled to my feet, breath shallow and hands shaking. Just as I braced myself, Arabelle sauntered over.
In a swift, hidden move, when no one was looking, her stiletto heel crushed down on my hand.
A sharp cry escaped me as pain ripped through my fingers. I jerked my hand back, blood already pooling beneath my palm.
But before I could react further, Arabelle suddenly stumbled backward in a dramatic arc right into the towering stack of wine glasses.
The crash was deafening.
Glass shattered. Red wine splashed everywhere. The entire hall seemed to freeze.
“Arabelle!” Jaxon’s voice rang out in panic as he rushed to her side, lifting her from the jagged mess of broken crystal.
Her white gown was drenched in red, the stains vivid and jarring, like blood blooming through silk.
“Arabelle! Are you alright? Say something!” Jaxon’s hands trembled as he brushed the tears from her face. “Someone, call an ambulance! Now!”
But Arabelle didn’t speak to him. Her tear-brimmed eyes were locked on me.
My hand throbbed, bleeding from where her heel had torn skin. But over the noise and chaos, I heard her soft, trembling voice.
“Liora, why did you push me? Didn’t you already agree to marry into the Montgomery family?”
Her voice cracked, perfectly timed, as a tear rolled down her cheek. “You must still hate me. You smiled and acted generously, but deep down, you still wanted revenge.”
The room went still. A suffocating silence swallowed the air.