Chapter 2 - THE ECHO OF A SLAP
Tessa wrapped her slender arms around the massive crystal vase. It was cold and impossibly heavy. As she lifted it, her heel slipped on a stray drop of water left by the florists. The vase tilted, slipped from her trembling grasp, and shattered against the marble floor with a deafening crash. Silence rushed into the room, heavy and suffocating. Then, the sharp crack echoed through the foyer. Vivienne had crossed the distance in a second, striking Tessa across the face with enough force to send her to her knees. Tessa tasted copper, her vision swimming. Before Vivienne could raise her hand again, a cold, deadly voice cut through the air. "Step away from her, Vivienne." Matteo descended the stairs, his eyes like black ice. He bypassed his furious fiancée completely, kneeling before the maid to press his own silk handkerchief to her bleeding lip.
