Aiden
I didn't see her move.
The crack of her palm against my cheek was sharp and sudden, echoing in my ear. Then came the second and the third. Three slaps in quick succession, that caught me completely off guard.
I caught her wrist before the fourth, ready to bark something, but no words came out when I saw her face.
Her green eyes were staring at me with that look that screamed she regretted every moment she spent breathing the same air as me.
She tore her wrist from my grip, trembling. Her bruised lips parted, a scream trapped somewhere in her throat she couldn't let out.
And for the first time, I didn't feel that twisted satisfaction I used to when she fought back.
All I felt was emptiness.
Still, I reached for her. Because I'm that shameless.
"Leah, I..."
She flinched, t
