Footsteps thundered in as the crash echoed through the room. Before I could even speak, Lilith raised her hand and burst into fake tears. “Thorne! She threw the soup at me! She lost her temper and did it on purpose! My hand hurts so much…”
Thorne didn’t hesitate. His expression darkened instantly as he grabbed my injured wrist with brutal force.
“Aria! What is wrong with you?” he snapped. “Apologize to Lilith right now!”
Pain shot through me and I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. I yanked my hand away and shoved it toward his face. My palm was blistered, swollen, burned raw.
“You want me to apologize?” I said hoarsely. “Look at this. Look properly. Tell me who got burned. Tell me who really did what.”
For a split second, he froze. His gaze flickered between my ruined hand and her pale, trembling figure. Doubt crossed his face—just briefly.
Then she suddenly doubled over, clutching her stomach and crying out, “Thorne… my stomach hurts so bad. There were peanuts in the soup. You know I’m allergic to peanuts!” She gasped dramatically. “I only asked her one thing, and she exploded.”
She clung to him, sobbing louder. “If you don’t believe me, check the cameras. I would never lie to you, Thorne!”
“Ah… it hurts… it really hurts…”
I stared at her in disbelief. “I didn’t put peanuts in anything,” I said. “Whoever’s lying, the cameras will prove it.”
But Thorne’s hesitation vanished as if it had never existed. His face hardened, his eyes turning icy.
“I told you she’s allergic,” he said sharply. “How could you be so careless?”
She buried her face against his chest, her voice weak and pitiful. “Please don’t be angry at her. I know she hates me. I don’t blame her… she just wants me gone. Maybe I really should leave.”
“No,” he said immediately, tightening his arm around her. “You’re not going anywhere.”
Then he turned on me. “Aria. Apologize. Now.”
“Thorne, I swear I’m telling the tru—”
“That’s enough,” he cut me off coldly. He lifted her into his arms like I wasn’t even there. “I don’t want to hear another word from you.”
Then he looked at the butler. “Take her to the basement. Lock her in. She’s not coming out until I say so.”
My knees nearly gave out. The basement. That damp, foul place where he kept those snakes for her. I backed away, shaking uncontrollably.
“No… please. Not there. Don’t do this to me.”