Before I could react, Ellie suddenly grabbed my hand, leaned backward and threw herself to the ground. Her palms scraped against the floor, leaving angry red marks.
Tears streamed down her face as she cried pitifully, like a fragile flower in a storm. “Nora, I was just trying to help you! Why did you push me?
“Oh no—Gabe, my stomach hurts! Could it be the baby? Did I fall on my stomach?”
"Ellie, don’t play mind games with me—ah!”
A heavy kick slammed into my chest, sending me sprawling onto the ground. The sharp scrape of the floor tore my palms, blood seeping from the fresh wounds.
Gabriel hurriedly helped Ellie to her feet, his hands gentle and his gaze filled with a tenderness I had never seen before.
He then raised his foot and stomped down on my grandmother’s memorial photo, glaring at me from above.
“Nora, how dare you push Ellie? Don’t you realize she’s pregnant with my child?
“And now you show up with a dead woman’s memorial photo to sabotage my wedding with Ellie? You’ve really crossed the line! I’ll make sure you learn your lesson for this!”
Gabriel stomped on the photo repeatedly, the shards of glass shredding my grandmother’s warm, smiling face, yet he didn’t stop.