“What are you doing? Gabriel, stop disrespecting my Grandma! Stop it! Stop right now!”
Holding a lit lighter just beneath the photo, Gabriel glanced at me with a mocking smirk.
“Nora, if you’re going to beg, at least learn how to do it properly.”
The onlookers burst into jeers and laughter, fanning the flames of my humiliation.
“Nora, Gabe’s being generous by tolerating a convict like you as his mistress. That’s a blessing you couldn’t dream of in eight lifetimes. And now you have the nerve to pull a stunt like this? You’re getting exactly what you deserve!”
“Utterly shameless. Using a memorial photo to force a marriage and even attacking his fiancée? You’re lucky Gabe hasn’t dealt with you more harshly.”
“Get on your knees and apologize while you still can. If you don’t, you’ll regret it soon enough!”
I stayed frozen, refusing to move, my chest heaving with silent defiance. Gabriel’s wrist flicked and the flame licked the edge of Grandma’s photo, curling and charring the corner.
Tears streaked down my face as I clenched my teeth. The anguish was unbearable, yet I forced myself onto my knees, my voice trembling with fury and despair.