Christian swallowed hard. His hands dropped away like they’d been burned.
He stepped back, jaw tight, eyes not meeting hers.
He’d crossed a line. Broken something he swore he wouldn’t. And yet… part of him wasn’t sorry.
“I didn’t mean to,” he said, voice hoarse.
But the way he looked at her said otherwise.
Mia stood frozen, every emotion she’d buried clawing to the surface—shock, confusion, anger, something else.
Something dangerous.
Because for a second, she hadn’t wanted to pull away.
Not even a little.
She opened her mouth, but nothing came.
And for once—he had no words.
Then the silence cracked.
Reality hit her like a slap, yanking her out of the daze. Her eyes widened. Her whole body tensed.
Then she exploded.
She stormed toward Christian and slapped him—hard. The sound
