~Lily~
Emma lowered her hand like she suddenly understood she hit the wrong person on the wrong day. She lifted her chin even though her fingers were still shaking a little. “Are you threatening me?” she asked.
Alex stepped toward her, not fast, just steady. “I’m telling you,” he said, “never put your hands on me again.”
“I am your mother,” she snapped. She sounded offended. Outraged. Like the universe owed her an apology.
He didn’t blink. “You are a woman who thinks blood gives you ownership,” he said. “It doesn’t.”
Emma’s mouth opened, but he kept going, still calm, still terrifying. “You don’t get to slap me because your life didn’t go the way you planned. You don’t get to call her names because you can’t control me anymore. And you definitely don’t get to stand here and talk about
