The words slipped from my lips with practiced ease, watching as they hit their target with perfect precision. Rhys's face froze, his jaw tightening as if I'd physically struck him.
"Your man?" His voice came out hoarse, barely audible.
I smiled, deliberately soft and dreamy, as if caught in a pleasant memory. "Yes. My man. Orion."
The color drained from Rhys's face. I knew I was being cruel, but something dark and vengeful had awakened inside me. After years of healing, of rebuilding myself from the broken shell he'd left behind, I wanted him to feel a fraction of the pain he'd caused me.
"You look surprised," I continued, watching his reaction carefully. "Did you think I'd wait around forever? That I'd never find someone who actually wants me?"
Rhys swallowed hard. "I never thought—"
"That's right," I cut him off. "You never thought. Not about how your rejection would destroy me. Not about the pain you caused when you believed the worst about me without question."
