Lucian's Point Of View
The door slammed.
Not softly. Not politely.
It didn't just close… it declared. The sound cracked through the room, sharp and final, like a verdict passed without appeal. The walls seemed to hold onto it, letting the echo linger longer than it should have, as if even the mansion itself needed a moment to absorb what had just happened.
I didn't move right away.
Didn't breathe right away either.
I just stood there, fingers pressed against my cheek, right where her palm had connected. The skin was warm. Not fading yet. Tingling beneath my touch, humming faintly like it remembered her hand better than I wanted it to. Not painful… not truly, but noticeable.
Insultingly so.
I rolled my jaw once.
Slow.
Measured.
The movement pulled at my cheek just enough to remind me again… 'she hit you'. The thought should have irritated me. Should have ignited fury. Instead, it sat there, heavy and strange, curling into something unfamiliar.
The girl was gone.
