Under the Veil I Rule (Amara) novel Chapter 819

He gently caught her shaking wrist, his dark eyes pleading. "I am truly sorry. Hit me again if it makes you feel better. I don't care, as long as it gets the anger out."

To prove his point, he actually tried to guide her palm back toward his cheek. The brazen gesture only infuriated her further. Was he giving her permission to hurt him, or just finding another excuse to touch her? He was an absolute bastard!

Amara violently shoved him away, a lump rising in her throat. "I despise you, Finnian! I never want to see your face again!" Blinking back the hot tears threatening to spill, she shot him one last devastating look and sprinted out the door.

"Amara!" Finnian chased after her, but all he caught was the blur of her silhouette disappearing behind the closing elevator doors.

He could easily have taken the stairs or caught her at the lobby—this was his building, after all. But he didn't move.

A sickening wave of regret washed over him. He never wanted to force himself on her. He had always prided himself on his iron-clad self-control, yet the second she pushed him away, he had completely lost his damn mind.

She was genuinely terrified and furious. He couldn't go after her right now. They both needed space to breathe; otherwise, the tension would just explode into something entirely irreparable.

The moment Amara dragged herself back to her villa, she locked herself in the bathroom, viciously rinsing her mouth out with water as silent tears streaked down her cheeks. The ghost of his cologne still clung to her clothes, and the bruising pressure of his lips still burned against hers. It made her physically sick with heartbreak.

How could he be so cruel? She went there to demand answers, not to be completely humiliated and manhandled...

Emma had practically gone insane from cabin fever under Finnian's house arrest, so she was absolutely thrilled to see Liliana walk through the door.

Collapsing onto the sofa beside her, Liliana instantly turned on the tears. "Mrs. Everly, have you seen the news? Finnian publicly forced Antonia to call Amara her sister-in-law! He's actually planning to go public with her. What am I supposed to do?"

Liliana knew exactly how to play the victim, cutting her sobs short at just the right moment to let the older woman take charge.

Hook, line, and sinker. Emma's face darkened with rage. "Antonia just told me the whole story. I tried to call Finnian to teach him a lesson, but the brat is dodging my calls. And with these guards out front, my hands are tied."