Bella's POV
"What a devoted little sister she is," I said, my smile sharp as glass. The warmth never reached my eyes. "If waiting's what she wants, then she can keep at it."
My contempt was written clear across my face. Lucius's frown deepened.
The woman he once knew had been soft, glowing, desperate to make everyone happy. 'When exactly did I turn so cutting, so distant?' he must be wondering.
"Ivy came here out of the goodness of her heart, and this is how you treat her? Don't you feel any obligation as her older sister? This behavior is completely unacceptable," Lucius snapped, his displeasure radiating off him in waves.
I could see the thoughts playing across his features, his expression seeming to ask, 'How could a woman like this possibly belong at my side? How could she ever become the matriarch of my family?' Ivy had always been like a sister to him. Seeing her wounded cut him deep.
