Bella felt threatened. She bared her small teeth and started barking at the intruders. Before I could pick her up, Marcus's son kicked her hard.
"You little bastard! If you scream again, I will beat you to death today!"
Bella was a Maltese and very light. The kick made her let out a sharp, high cry. I could not hold back any longer. I shoved the little boy away.
"What do you think you are doing?" he demanded, then began to cry loudly.
Seeing the child cry, Yvonne rushed forward and grabbed my hair. I was taken by surprise and thrown roughly to the ground. But she did not stop. Instead, she rolled on top of me and began slapping my face wildly.
"You fucking bitch, how dare you touch my son? I will make you pay with your life!"
"Back where I grew up, I could beat anyone! But even now, I can still handle you. Prepare for that, you fucking bitch!"
"You hit my son? I will kill you!"
The older woman spat at me and sneered harshly.
"Jeez! A bitch like you is not fit for my Michael!"
"You should be grateful the Eden family even notices you. Look at you, you tramp!"
The little boy grabbed a blue-and-white porcelain vase from the entry and smashed it at me.