"How do you want to be punished, baby girl?" Adrian asked.
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
Raya's brows furrowed immediately. "Why should I be punished when I did nothing wrong?" she shot back.
Adrian expected resistance.
What he didn't expect...
Was her breaking.
Her voice cracked halfway through the sentence, and before she could stop herself, tears spilled over. Silent at first. Then heavier. Hot and uncontrollable.
Adrian stiffened.
He hadn't planned for this.
"…Why are you crying?" he asked, frowning slightly.
Raya laughed bitterly through her tears. "If you want to punish me, then do it," she said, wiping her cheeks angrily. "But Anna did nothing. Nothing. And yet you let Lucas take her away like her opinion didn't matter at all."
Adrian crossed his arms. "Did I force her?" he asked evenly. "Was she at gunpoint? Didn't you hear her agree to go with him?"
"She did because she had no choice!" Raya snapped. "You all left her with no choice!"
The room fell quiet.
