Chapter 74: Eye for an Eye

Maia exhaled sharply, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. "I've admitted I was wrong. Can't you just forgive me?" Her voice cracked slightly, her desperation barely concealed.

Amelia studied Maia for a moment, her arms still firmly crossed. "I wasn't raised to apologize the way you do," she replied, eyeing Maia's lingering arrogance, the pride she couldn't quite let go of. Amelia tilted her head, her tone cutting. 

Maia's expression hardened. "Then what do you want from me?"

A cool smile crept across Amelia's face. "Eye for an eye," she said, her voice chilling.

Maia squared her shoulders and took a deep breath, her jaw clenched slightly as she forced the words out. "Alright. You can slap me if that's what it takes for you to forgive me."

Without missing a beat, Amelia's hand flew across Maia's face, the sharp crack of the slap echoing in the small café.