“Oh, sorry! I just slipped. I didn’t mean to do it.” She acted innocent, her smile unwavering. “Wait, are these things from Trent? Why are you burning them? Did you finally realize how useless you are to him?”
I raised a brow. “Excuse me?”
“I’m just saying... You couldn’t even protect your mother back then. You know, when she died? You were so useless.”
“How could you utter my mother with your filthy mouth?”
A fire hotter than the flames before me ignited in my chest. Without thinking, I slapped her across the face. It wasn’t even that hard, but she fell straight into the fire.
I blinked in surprise. I hadn’t expected it, but before I could react, a figure rushed forward, knocking me to the ground as he caught Monica in his arms.
I thought my heart couldn’t shatter anymore, but it did—especially when Trent turned on me with a snarl.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Lucy?” His golden eyes darkened with anger, his fangs slightly bared. “Monica came here to say hi, and then you attacked her like a rabid wolf?”
I picked myself up, brushing the dirt from my clothes, but my glare didn’t waver. “She insulted my mother. Do you think I would just stand there and take it? And you—” I exhaled sharply, trying to keep my composure. “You never even told me the truth about what happened to her. You just said the healers failed. That’s it?”
A flicker of panic crossed his face before he masked it with a cold stare. “We already discussed this. Her wounds were fatal. The healers did their best, but it wasn’t enough.”
He was lying. I could smell it, the slight change in his scent, the way his heartbeat skipped just once. But I wasn’t going to expose him yet. Revenge had to be carefully planned.
Before I could press further, Monica, ever the manipulator, placed a delicate hand on his chest. “It’s okay, Trent,” she whispered, her voice filled with fake sympathy. “I think she’s still upset over Henry breaking their mate bond to be with me. Maybe I deserved that slap. Consider this my way of making peace.”
She cast me a pitying look before turning away with him. Halfway down the path, she sighed dramatically. “If she despises me so much, maybe we should stop seeing each other. I don’t want to cause problems for you, Trent.”