Selena's heart clenched, dread gripping her like a vise. "Bella is injured?" she repeated, her emotions threatening to choke her.
"Poor girl," Claudia continued, her expression softening into an imitation of sympathy. "She has been through so much. Thankfully, she was rescued in time. Who knows what that monster might have done if he hadn't been stopped? You should think about my suggestion and leave far away from here – away from your abusive husband."
Selena's breath came in shallow gasps as the room closed in around her. The horror of Claudia's words sank in, each sentence twisting the knife deeper. The thought of Bella suffering at the hands of her stepfather was unbearable.
Selena's mind reeled as she reflected on the years of hardship she had endured. The echoes of Lionel's verbal and physical abuse haunted her, a constant reminder of the painful past she had tried to endure for Bella's sake.
