Bella's POV
My gaze swept over him with icy indifference. "Satisfied about what? Ivy wasn't the one who faced punishment. You took her place, so why should I feel any gratitude?" The words left my lips sharp and cutting.
Jasper flinched as if I'd slapped him. Despite his mistakes as my older brother, I was still his sister—yet here I stood, cold as winter.
"You..." He struggled for words, his throat constricting with something metallic and bitter.
He fought to swallow down the rising blood, but his body betrayed him. Step by step, he staggered backward.
Genevieve shrieked, shoving me aside as she rushed toward Jasper.
My legs were already shaky, barely holding me up. Her push sent me tumbling backward, my balance completely gone.
The sharp corner of a table waited behind me.
Just as I was about to crash into it, strong fingers wrapped around my waist, pulling me back to safety.
