Elena’s POV

I turned my face away sharply, refusing to let Matthews touch me.

His fingers lingered in the air for a brief second before he slowly withdrew them, a quiet chuckle slipping from his throat as though my rejection amused rather than offended him.

“Still angry?” he asked, his tone low and intimate, like a man coaxing a lover after a trivial quarrel.

The familiarity in his voice made my skin crawl.

I forced myself to steady my breathing despite the cold sweat gathering along ...