Ellie put on her best concerned expression and tugged at Bruno's sleeve. "Mr. Matthews, please don't fight with your wife because of me. I'm just a junior assistant. A little mistreatment is nothing I can't handle."
She turned to me, her voice dripping with sweetness. "It's all my fault, Mrs. Matthews. Please don't be angry with Mr. Matthews. Let me apologize."
She reached for my wrist as if to hold my hand, but her fingers dug in viciously, nails biting into my skin hard enough to bruise.
The pain was blinding. I wrenched my arm free.
"Get off me!"
I barely used any force, but Ellie flew backward as if she'd been shoved by a linebacker. She crashed into the dining table, sending plates and bowls cascading to the floor in an explosion of porcelain and leftover food. She went down with them, landing in a heap of grease and sauce. A shard of broken plate sliced her hand, and blood dripped onto the tile.
"Judith, you've gone too far!"
Bruno's palm connected with my face before I could blink. My head snapped to the side.
I ran my tongue over the corner of my lip and tasted copper. Something inside me went quiet. Not numb. Clear.