He stumbled backward and fell onto the cold pavement, the impact knocking the breath from his lungs.
He stared up at her in disbelief. "What the hell did you just do?"
Olivia chuckled, flexing her fingers as if shaking off dust.
"Self-defense," she replied coolly.
"You grabbed me first. I had to act. You can't even press charges properly without embarrassing yourself."
Matteo pushed himself up slowly, his cheek already reddening.
He looked at her with a disappointed sigh.
At first, he had thought about helping her for the sake of their past. But after witnessing her attitude, a slow anger simmered beneath his ribs.
The next second, pain exploded in his stomach.
Olivia's knee drove into him before he could react.
Matteo nearly squealed, clutching his abdomen as he doubled over.
"What was that for?" he gasped.
She chuckled again, colder this time. "That was for slandering me."
With that, she turned to leave.
