Taking advantage of her mother’s grip on me, Joey stepped forward and slapped me hard twice.
My ears rang, and my mouth filled with the taste of blood. I spat it out and growled, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll call the police? Don’t you think the law exists? Or are you not afraid Hudson will find out and make you pay for this?”
Joey watched me struggle under her mother’s grip, arms crossed, looking amused. “You think you can compare yourself to me? You’re nothing, and I’m his soon-to-be wife! Hudson loves me dearly. Even if I crippled you, he wouldn’t say a word against me – he’d even clean up the mess for me.”
Lucinda yanked my head back, mocking, “Hudson treasures my daughter. How dare someone like you challenge her?
“In a few days, their wedding will be all over the news, and everyone in the city will know my daughter is Mrs. Barrett. But you, since you love climbing into beds so much, let’s show everyone just how low you can go!”
With that, she kicked me hard in the stomach.
Lucinda might have once worked in the fields, for her strength was comparable to that of a man. The force of the kick sent a mouthful of blood rushing up into my mouth.