Chapter 173

Christina's POV Any guilt I'd felt toward Hudson instantly curdled into fury. I'd thought their relationship was tense but tolerable. Now I understood how naive I'd been. I turned to Hudson. "I swear I didn't know. If I had, I wouldn't have come. Whatever game she's playing, I want no part of it." Words seemed pointless now. "I never lied to you!" Gwendolyn insisted, her voice shrill. "I just mentioned it was his birthday, and you came running. How is that my fault? None of us meant any harm—" Hudson blurred into motion. His boot connected with a nearby chair with lethal force. It ricocheted across the room, heading straight for her. She shrieked, twisting away just as the chair smashed into the wall behind her, splintering on impact, one leg snapped clean off. She pressed herself against a serving cart, chest heaving, eyes wide with shock. Reginald stormed over and hauled her up. "What the fuck is wrong with you? So it's your birthday. So what if we forgot—you think we'd deliberately