Victoria’s POV
The mirror didn’t lie.
My mascara had smudged slightly at the corners. My lips were pursed, too tight. My eyes–usually commanding, always in control–now looked haunted. My hair, styled to perfection just hours ago, now sat like a crumbling crown of thorns on my head.
I gripped the edge of the vanity table, knuckles pale from the pressure.
How dare he?
Sebastian had humiliated me.
In front of everyone. In front of staff. In front of her.
The dining room had been a grand stage, and I–once the shining lead–had been shoved off for a background extra in an apron.
Not to comfort me.
Not to protect me.
Not to defend my honor like a real man should.
No.
He stood up for her.
The maid.
The air in the room thickened with rage, wrapping around my throat like an invisible noose.
“Victoria.”
My mother’s voice pierced the silence gently, but I couldn’t turn around yet. I couldn’t let her see the fury twisting through my expression.
She entered with her usual calm elegance, her silk ro
