The slap rang through the living room like a gunshot.
Sharp. Clean. Unmistakable.
For half a second, no one moved.
Adrian's head turned slightly from the impact, just enough to confirm that the blow had landed. The sound echoed once, then died, leaving behind a silence so thick it felt suffocating. Even the air itself seemed to freeze in place.
Raya's hand hovered midair, fingers trembling violently, the sting of contact only now reaching her nerves. Her palm burned. Her chest heaved. Her heartbeat roared so loudly in her ears that she almost didn't register the way the room had gone deathly still.
Adrian didn't react immediately.
That was the most terrifying part.
His jaw tightened subtly as he turned his face back forward, eyes calm— too calm. The faint red mark blooming on his cheek stood out against his composed expression like a brand of ownership, an insult etched into skin.
Around them, the atmosphere shifted.
