Bella's POV
Gideon might despise me, but blood still bound us as siblings. When the Fairfax name gets dragged through the mud in public, his pride takes the hit too.
I watched him step forward instinctively, ready to help me up, but Kenneth's grip on his arm stopped him cold.
"Look at this, Bella," Kenneth's sneer cut through the air, "grown woman who still can't keep her balance? What a sorry sight you make."
The thrill in his voice was impossible to miss.
I lifted my eyes to find Lucius, catching sight of him standing there—unreadable, frozen.
But his hands were balled into fists.
He was wavering. If I'd just spoken up—asked for his help, shown the smallest crack in my armor—he wouldn't have abandoned me like this. He would have acted.
But I didn't. I gave him barely a glance before looking elsewhere, as though even acknowledging his presence was beneath me. As if staring too long might contaminate my vision.
