Aidan.
Aidan.
I hadn't intended to slap Maria. Not like that. Not so suddenly, not with so many eyes watching. The moment had spiraled out of my control before I could rein it in, and all I could remember was the heat of Vanessa's wrist in my grasp, the fury radiating off her as she struggled to land another blow.
I held her firm, stopping her hand midair, and in that split second, my mind raced faster than my heart ever had.
I couldn't let Vanessa turn on me.
I couldn't let the crowd twist the narrative.
And I definitely couldn't afford to look weak, conflicted, or, worse, guilty.
So I did the only thing that came to me. The most instinctive, reckless thing.
I struck Maria instead.
The sound of the slap echoed louder than I expected, cracking through the tense air like a whip. For a heartbeat, everything froze. Vanessa stilled. The murmurs shifted. The balance tilted back in my favor.
