Eliana's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might break free from her chest, a wild thing desperate to escape. Her big brown eyes, still wide in disbelief, stayed locked on Rafael as if staring long enough might make him make sense. The space around them seemed to shrink, the air growing heavy and electric—thick with the residue of everything they'd thrown at each other moments ago.
His hand rested over hers, warm and steady, a quiet contrast to the storm he'd been moments earlier. The touch sent a rush through her that she hated—half reassurance, half warning—like stepping into the sun but knowing rain is just behind the clouds. She eased her hand back, the motion slow, curls brushing against her cheeks as she shook her head. How could this be the same man who loved making her feel small and bad at every chance he got? The same man who, from the moment their eyes first met, had been her tormentor?
