"Get your filthy hands off me!" I roared, wrenching myself free. "You disgust me!"
"You want me to apologize to a whore? Keep dreaming!"
Silence.
The students, sensing the toxicity, shuffled toward the door. Once the last guest left and the front door clicked shut, Thomas's facade dropped. His face darkened with rage.
"Elise! Did you have to humiliate us?"
Hazel stepped between us, playing the peacemaker, though her eyes danced with triumph.
"Mrs. Gilbert, I don't want anything," she said softly. "I just want to stay by the Professor's side. Sharing his burdens is enough for me. Please don't fight because of me. If it makes the Professor happy... I'll leave."
Rage detonated in my chest. I snatched the soup bowl from the table and hurled it to the floor beside her.
Porcelain exploded, sending shards flying. Hot broth splashed onto her calves.
"Elise James!" Thomas Gilbert roared, surging to his feet. Before I could react, his hand connected with my face.
The force of the slap knocked me to the ground. A high-pitched ringing filled my ears, and the metallic tang of blood bloomed in my mouth.