Chapter 18

• My voice trembled as I tried to explain, "Archer, it's not what it looks like. She attacked me first—"
• But my words were drowned out by Claire's pitiful wails. "She hates me, Arch! She's always hated me. She wants to ruin everything between us."
• The intensity of his glare cut through me like a blade, the depth of his disappointment and anger more than I could bear. I stumbled backward, my mind racing for something—anything—to make him understand. "Archer, please, you have to believe me. She—"