Bella's POV
When I spoke to Penelope, rage simmered beneath my calm exterior. I always appear most controlled when fury courses through my veins.
Ice-cold shards glittered in my eyes. One look could freeze someone solid.
But my anger wasn't meant for Penelope.
She'd always been skittish, tiptoeing through this suffocating, rigid household. I wouldn't waste energy tormenting someone so pathetic.
"Go back," I told her.
I turned to Jasper, my voice cutting. "Children shouldn't pay for their parents' sins. Hold the guilty accountable. What kind of coward uses a child to twist Grandmother's heart?"
The child represented the Fairfax family's future.
Ursula would shield the child, but she wouldn't let anyone pull her strings.
Penelope pressed her lips together, staying silent. She clutched the child and walked away, tears threatening to spill.
Jasper's face went rigid. I could see his jaw clenched so tight his molars might crack.
My words had been a brutal slap across his face.
