“No.”
His hand struck my face before I even understood he had moved. A sharp burst of pain exploded across my cheek. My ear rang. For one second, everything froze—the blue and white flashes from the television, Vanessa’s mouth slightly open, Daniel breathing hard in front of me. TV& Video
Then something inside me snapped cleanly in two.
Without hesitation, I shoved the food away with force. Plates crashed onto the floor. Chicken slid across the tile. The bowl of green beans shattered near Daniel’s shoes.
I looked him directly in the eyes and said, “You just made the biggest mistake of your life.”
PART 2
Daniel stared at the broken dishes as though they offended him more than the slap had offended me.
For years afterward, I would remember that moment in fragments: the sting burning across my cheek, the smell of butter and garlic, Vanessa clutching the blanket against her chest, Daniel’s face shifting from rage to shock when he realized I was not crying.
He expected tears. He expected begging. He expected me to lower my eyes and apologize for embarrassing him in his own house.
Instead, I reached for my phone.
Daniel lunged toward me. “What are you doing?”
