Kevin curled on the floor, too winded to get up.
Camille let out a sharp yelp and scurried over, helping him to his feet. Then she lifted her chin, defiance glittering in her eyes.
"Mr. James, Mrs. James—this is the modern age. People fall in and out of love. Kevin doesn't have feelings for Millicent anymore."
Her gaze slid toward me. Subtle. Calculated.
My stomach dropped.
And then, just as I feared, she raised her voice.
"You can't guilt your son into spending the rest of his life taking care of her just because you feel sorry for what happened to her as a child." Her lips curled. "Because she was violated. That's not fair to him."
The words detonated in my ears like thunder.
Stifled gasps rippled through the crowd.
Every pair of eyes locked onto me. Heads leaned together. Fingers pointed. Whispers slithered.
My mind went blank.
The thing I'd been terrified of my entire life had finally happened.
Fear and fury crashed over me in a single, drowning wave.
I lost control.
I lunged at Camille, shoving her to the ground, my fingers tangling in her hair as we grappled.
A brutal force seized my arm and wrenched me away.