LILY
The slap echoed through the kitchen louder than I expected.
For a split second after my palm connected with his face, everything went completely still. My hand stung, my chest heaved, and Ronald’s head remained turned slightly to the side where the force had pushed it.
A red mark bloomed across his cheek.
Neither of us spoke.
Rainwater dripped from my hair onto the tiled floor while my pulse hammered wildly in my ears. I half expected him to explode, to yell back, or throw another insult my way. Instead, Ronald slowly turned his head back toward me, his expression strangely calm.
He stared at me for a long moment.
Then he lifted a hand and rubbed the spot where I’d hit him.
“Well,” he said with a small shrug, his tone almost bored, “I guess that means we’re even.”
My breath c
