Chapter 51

• Charlotte sat stiffly in the back of the cab, her breath shallow as she stared into the compact mirror in her trembling hand. Her lower lip throbbed painfully; a smudge of blood stained the torn edge, mingling with the remnants of ruined lipstick. She pressed a tissue delicately to the wound, dabbing away the dark crimson with sharp, frustrated motions. Her messy hair fell in disarray around her face, tendrils stubbornly escaping the hurried attempts she’d made to fix it. A red mark stood out sharply on her wrist, a harsh imprint left by Howard’s iron grip—a painful reminder of his brutal kiss.
• Her eyes, fierce and burning, locked onto her reflection, hate bubbling up inside her like a storm finally unleashed. “Damn him,” she hissed through clenched teeth. “That arrogant bastard thinks he owns me, like I’m some prize he can just take whenever he wants.” She tapped furiously on the mirror’s cool surface.
• Another glance at her reflection, blood still fresh on her chin. “He’ll regret this. No man gets to break me, no matter how hard he tries.” Her hand brushed her hair back roughly, leaving it even more untamed. “The nerve of him... thinking he could just force me into his pathetic madness.” She bit back a curse, resisting the urge to scream more insults into the silent cab.