Elena’s POV

The sound of the slap cut through the ward with a sharp, undeniable clarity.

Snap.

Matthews’s head jerked to the side as my palm connected with her face, clean and precise, a strike I did not hesitate to deliver.

For a heartbeat, the world seemed to pause. The buzzing of the monitors, the hum of the fluorescent lights, even the soft breathing of the patients in nearby beds faded into silence.

Then Matthews’s expression twisted violently, contorting into something ...