Something inside me snapped.
The slap cracked through the room like a gunshot, my palm connecting with her cheek with enough force to snap her head to the side. Celeste staggered back, her manicured hands flying to her face in shock.
For a heartbeat, there was perfect stillness. Then—
"If you ever," I snarled, surging forward to grip her throat, "ever speak about my son like that again, I will kill you." My voice shook with barely contained fury. "That's not a threat, Celeste. It's a promise."
Celeste's fingers trembled over her reddened cheek, her eyes wide with shock and something else I couldn't quite name—a flicker of vicious satisfaction.
Satisfied she'd gotten the message, I turned to grab my bag and leave. That's when I saw the eerie smile curling at the corner of her mouth.
H
