A Painful Ploy

Declan rushed back, pushed open the door, and saw Stella holding her hand with a pained expression on her face.

A pile of shattered glass lay on the floor.

Stella pitifully gasped for air, her eyes brimming with tears, shrouded in a misty haze. "I just wanted to have a glass of water, and I didn't expect the cup to shatter!"

There was a lot of water on the floor, steaming and hot.

Clearly, the