I recognized it instantly—yesterday's slop bucket.
"Mom, you're too good to me." I took the bowl, letting my hands shake.
The scalding slop splashed onto the brand-new carpet I'd just bought.
My mother-in-law screamed. "You jinx! That carpet cost over three thousand!"
She raised her hand to strike me.
I went with it, falling backward onto the floor covered in broken porcelain.
"Ah—"
I cried out, deliberately rolling once. The shards sliced several bloody gashes into my arm.
"Help! Someone's hitting me!"
Mrs. Lambert from next door happened to be passing by. Hearing the commotion, she pushed the door open.
"Oh my, what's going on here?"
She sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of me covered in blood.
"Lexi, you…"
"Mrs. Lambert…" I threw myself into her arms, crying, deliberately exposing the old bruises on my arm. "I accidentally knocked over the soup… and my mother-in-law tried to hit me…"
Mrs. Lambert's expression hardened.
She looked at the rancid slop on the floor, then at my mother-in-law's twisted face. Understanding dawned.
"This is abuse!"
Within minutes, the hallway filled with people. Neighbors pointed and whispered.