The sting in my palm was a living, pulsing thing, matching the furious rhythm of my heart. Julian stayed frozen, his face turned sideways, his fingers pressing into the rapidly darkening red mark on his skin. The silence in the luxury corridor was so fragile it felt as if a single breath could shatter it.
"Elena..."
Chloe’s voice dropped like a pebble into still water, raw and trembling with absolute shock. She stepped into my peripheral vision, her wide eyes darting from my heaving chest to the hand I still held raised in the air, and then to Julian.
"Elena... what happened?" Chloe asked, her voice cracking as she took a tentative step closer, reaching out to grasp my sleeve. "Why did you leave him? We thought your wedding was this week. What did he do to you?"
I opened my mouth to an
