~CHAPTER SEVENTY ONE~
I feel the sting, but I refuse to show it. I won’t give her that satisfaction.
Hardin steps slightly forward now, not touching me, but close enough that his presence shifts the air.
“You will not come into my house and disrespect my wife,” he says.
His tone is controlled.
Dangerously calm.
She finally turns to look at him. “Your wife?” she repeats. “Or your mistake?”
The temperature drops.
Hardin’s expression changes—not loud, but lethal.
“You’re out of line,” he says.
“I’m protecting what you built,” she fires back. “You are distracted. The Marcellos are moving, and you are busy playing husband.”
That lands harder than her insult toward me.
He doesn’t react emotionally. He doesn’t defend himself.
“I handle my enemies,” he says evenly. “Including the ones
