Delphine took advantage of his momentary daze, reached out, and slapped him violently. She broke free and shrank back to the head of the bed, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Her robe was in complete disarray, exposing her body. Yet her hands shook so much she couldn't gather the robe together.
Her gaze flicked to the crystal lamp on the bedside table. She grabbed it and smashed it against the sharp edge of the table, clutching the shards in her hand. With a cold laugh, she said, "All these years, you've tormented me, humiliated me, all because I'm Beatrice Carter's daughter, because Beatrice caused your mother's death, right? Kill me then—it's just one life for another."
She gripped the shards tightly, her delicate palm cutting open, dark blood quickly staining the crystal fragments and dripping onto the bedding.
Ignatius Leclair's face shifted slightly. He moved to snatch the shards from her hand, his voice low and furious: "You've gone mad!"
