Adrian’s eyes darted around the room. There was no exit. In a final display of his true nature, he lunged across the table toward me, hands reaching for my throat.

The two officers caught him mid-air, put him down against the polished mahogany, and clicked the cuffs shut around his wrists.

“This is your fault!” Adrian screamed, spit flying, as they dragged him backward. “You ruined everything!”

I stood slowly. My ribs protested, shooting a spike of pain through my chest, but my posture was perfect and my voice didn’t shake.

“No, Adrian,” I said, looking down at him as he struggled. “This is simply the first consequence in your life that you couldn’t hit me hard enough to avoid.”

The aftermath was swift.