Even that wasn’t enough to cool my rage—I raised my foot to kick him again. But before I could, a sudden, sharp impact struck the back of my head. My vision blurred, pain searing through my skull. I turned my head slowly, barely able to register what I was seeing. Alice stood there, gripping a small, round fish tank.
There were no fish in it. I had bought a few and carefully looked after them, but she had flushed them down the toilet, saying they were an eyesore.
Now, she looked at me with icy indifference. "Mike is my brother. I forbid you to bully him."
Her gaze was as if I were her enemy. My head throbbed violently. My consciousness blurred as I slumped against the sofa, barely keeping my eyelids open. I watched as Alice hurriedly helped Mike up, her hands gentle and caring. I couldn't hold on anymore. Everything faded to black.
And Alice? She didn’t even look back as she supported Mike out the door. "I’ll take you to the hospital. You’ll be fine."
At that moment, the last shred of pride I had in this marriage perished completely. When I woke up, it was already morning. The back of my head throbbed, the sofa stained a deep red where I had bled throughout the night.