~MELLISSA'S POV~
I slammed the door behind me, the sound cracking through the hallway like a gunshot sharp, final, unforgiving. It echoed longer than it should have, bouncing off polished walls and high ceilings, but even that violent release didn't touch the inferno raging in my chest. If anything, it only made me more aware of it, the heat coiling tighter, hotter, refusing to cool.
"Tessa," I muttered under my breath, the name tasting bitter on my tongue.
My heels struck the marble floor with deliberate force as I walked away, each step a small act of violence. The rhythm was harsh, uneven, fueled by anger I couldn't quite contain. Servants I passed stiffened, shrinking back instinctively, but I didn't slow down. Let them see it. Let them feel it. I needed the world to know I was not fine.
The words replayed in my head, over and over, merciless in their clarity.
