The reason I chose to confess was to redirect Alfred's anger away from Christian and onto myself. I believed that Alfred would never be as harsh with me as he was with Christian, but in that intense moment, I underestimated the depth of his fury. While he might have treated me with more leniency than Christian, it was far from a peaceful encounter. Unlike the physical slap he had delivered to Christian, Alfred's words were poised to strike even harder.
"What kind of excuse is that?" Alfred's fists clenched, and his words, spoken through gritted teeth, carried an unmistakable edge. "Ava, how could you be so selfish? I never thought I'd see this side of you." He turned abruptly toward his table, delivering a punishing blow to it. A resounding bang filled the room. "Instead of focusing on th
