LEONE POV

The sound of her slap echoed longer than it should have. Not because of the impact — her palm was small, almost delicate — but because of what came with it: the fire in her eyes. Not fear, not desperation, but fury. Pure and unfiltered.

I didn’t move. Not right away.

Ariana stood there, trembling but unbroken. Her chest rose and fell fast like she had just run a marathon. Her hand was still raised mid-air, her lips slightly parted in shock maybe even at herself.

...