The girl didn't hear his words. Panic clamped down inside her like iron jaws. With a hoarse cry of rage and despair, she snatched the glass vase from the table and hurled it against the wall. It shattered with a deafening crash, shards spraying across the floor—some embedding in the carpet, catching the dim lamplight like cold, glittering tears.
"You ruined my life, you bastard!" Her whole body trembled, stretched taut like a string about to snap, her voice tearing through the air with her sobs. "Tell me what I'm supposed to do now! I'm branded by fire! For me—living is worse than dying!"
Her fists clenched so tight the knuckles went white. William instinctively stepped back. His own heart stumbled unevenly in his chest as he felt the storm of her fury and terror, yet no words came.
