As the sound of the slap echoed and faded within the wooden beams of the room, only the weak crackle of the fire in the fireplace and Olivia's ragged breathing remained.
Olivia pulled her hand back in sudden pain.
With her other hand, she gently cradled her hand that was starting to turn red.
Her eyes welled up for a moment, her red irises trembled, but immediately after, the "big sister" reflex brought on by years kicked in.
She had to soften the tension in the atmosphere.
She placed a forced smile on her face, the corners of her lips trembling.
"Hehe..." she said, trying to sound cheerful even though her voice came out a bit cracked. "That... that hurt a little."
However, there was not a shred of regret or a sense of pity on Cassian's face.
His eyes were as cold and piercing as the harshest glaciers of the North.
His gaze looked at Olivia not like a victim, but like a criminal; as if that slap was just a small beginning of the punishment Olivia deserved.
