Elena's POV
A bone-deep chill swept through my entire body.
I remembered Selene's trembling gasps on the phone, freezing me to my core.
My body was shaking like a leaf under Pheisar's suffocating weight.
The metallic clink of a belt buckle echoed like a thunderclap near my ear.
Four years ago, after my family fell apart and I endured my relatives' a***e, I learned that tears were the fluid of the weak, useless for saving a soul consumed by despair.
Tears only emboldened my abusers, giving them free rein to humiliate me further.
But now, a mixture of rage, failure, and humiliation overwhelmed me. Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably, wetting Pheisar's hand.
He froze for a second, then turned my face to try and kiss my tears away.
I seized the moment, lashing out with hatred.
