After my husband hurt me, I cooked breakfast like nothing happened. He smirked, thinking he’d won. Then he saw who was behind the steaming stack of pancakes… and his world cracked open.
The slap came without warning, splitting the evening silence like thunder. Emily’s cheek burned, the sting radiating through her skull as she stumbled backward against the kitchen counter. For a moment, time suspended itself—she could hear the drip of the faucet, the hum of the refrigerator, the ragged sound of her own breathing. Daniel stood…
