Camilla's POV
The sting across my palm matched the shock rippling through my entire body. I stood there, hand still raised, staring at the red mark blooming across Tom's cheek where my palm had connected. The slap had come from somewhere primal, somewhere I didn't even know existed within me.
Never once in our marriage had I laid a hand on him. Through every argument, every sleepless night, every moment of frustration, I had never crossed that line. But something inside me had finally broken, some last thread of restraint that had been holding me together.
Tom's face registered pure disbelief. His dark eyes went wide, one hand moving instinctively to his cheek. We both stood frozen, caught in the aftermath of what I'd just done.
My throat felt tight as I tried to find words. Part of me wanted to take it back, to smooth things over for Joy's sake. Our daughter was sleeping upstairs, innocent and unaware that her parents' world was crumbling beneath her feet.
"I didn't mean to..."
