He rushed forward and shoved me aside. Hard. I stumbled back several steps, my spine slamming into the unyielding edge of the jewelry display case. A sharp hiss escaped through my teeth. But he didn't even glance my way. He was already crouching beside Selene, checking her over with painstaking care, his voice tight with worry.
"Selene, are you alright? Did you hurt yourself anywhere?"
"Samuel, I'm fine, really. Please don't blame Lois. I just lost my balance and fell on my own..." Selene tugged at his sleeve, her voice soft and pleading as she defended me, looking more delicate by the second.
"Selene, you're too kind. Don't cover for her. I saw everything." Samuel's expression was glacial as he helped Selene to her feet, handling her as though she were a priceless gemstone that might shatter at the slightest touch.
He tucked her protectively against his chest, then turned. His gaze locked onto me, and the coldness in his eyes drove into my heart like shards of ice.
In five years of marriage, he had never once looked at me like that.