Ethan was caught off guard, one side of his face still burning with the echo of the slap. He froze for a few seconds, his hand still gripping Emily’s ankle as if he hadn’t realized what had just happened. The flickering firelight cast their faces in stark relief, one trembling with rage, the other in utter pain.
Emily gritted her teeth, tears streaming down her cheeks. She shook her head repeatedly, her voice hoarse: “What kind of person do you think I am? If I really wanted to choose him, do you think I’d still be sitting here? Yes, I was stupid, I was blind before, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know who actually cares about me and who doesn’t!”
With that, she pulled her leg back, curling up in a dark corner, her shoulders trembling. The skin at her ankle was now flushed red, Ethan’s ha
