Senna stood amidst the feathers and shattered glass, her chest heaving. Desperation clawed at her throat. She took a step toward Derek, her hands shaking.
"I sacrificed everything for you," Senna said. Her voice was a raw, trembling whisper that rose to a shout. "My youth! My freedom! I stayed in the shadows for years, waiting for you to look at me! I gave up everything!"
Derek stood still, his posture rigid. He looked at the woman he had once thought of as a friend, as a savior. Now, he only saw a stranger.
"You sacrificed everything?" Derek repeated. His voice was low and dangerous. He stepped over a pile of blackened curtain fabric.
"You poisoned yourself before my wedding," Derek said, ticking off her crimes. "You drank venom just to pull me away from the altar, to humiliate my wife and ruin my family's reputation. Was that for me? Or for your own vanity?"
Senna opened her mouth to argue, but Derek continued, his voice rising slightly.
