Chapter 51

Daphne

The sound of shattering glass echoed through the hall. Everyone gasped, their heads snapping toward the direction of the noise.

A wine glass lay crushed in Zachary Ackerman’s bleeding hand.

When my gaze fell on him, for a moment, I wished the ground would swallow me whole. His eyes burned with rage, and the atmosphere instantly became hot and tense.

My pulse spiked painfully, as if my body recognized danger before my mind did.

Blood dripped from his hand, falling onto the broken shards scattered across the floor.

He began walking toward us—slow, deliberate, unstoppable and my foolish brain chose that moment to go numb. I couldn’t move. Not a single step.

When he reached us, his gaze dropped to where Ken’s hand rested on mine.

I waited for it.

I knew he was going to do something terrible, maybe hit Ken, maybe drag me away by force. If he did that, it would be over. I would reject him publicly, and I wouldn’t care abo