Chapter 16 The Price Of Words

• (POV: Isabela)
• The music started playing again, trying to fill the quiet left after the dance ended. But the tune sounded wrong to my shaky nerves. Mateo had left me near the edge of the dance floor like a package dropped off. He smoothly went back to talking with some serious-looking men whose eyes followed every unsteady step I took. I felt stranded, watched. The choker ached against my throat. The feeling of Mateo’s hand burned on my back. His whispered threats and the awful memory of him being aroused against me made my stomach turn.
• My hands trembled. I made them into tight fists, my nails digging into my skin. I needed to feel steady, needed to put my calm mask back on. Breathe. Just breathe. Get through the next minute. Then the next. Guests walked around me, a flow of fake smiles and quick, judging looks. Their talk was just noise against the loud fear pounding in my ears. I needed to find a quiet corner, get control back, escape the feeling of being picked apart by a thousand eyes.