Sophia’s pov

The sting on my cheek still burned when Lucian’s mother started firing questions at me like bullets.

“Where the hell did you go since last night, Sophia? I called you over and over and you refused to come home. Who do you even know here? You’ve started making friends already? Don’t you know what you’re here for?”

Each question landed harder than the last. I couldn’t even tell which one she wanted answered first. My hand stayed pressed against the place she had slapped, fingers trembling. Tears welled up and spilled over before I could stop them.

“Is that why you slapped me?” I asked. My voice came...