"You're right. I don't hold a position in the company, so I can't fire her." I held his gaze. "But as your wife, I have every right to slap her."

Bruno immediately pulled the sobbing Ellie into his arms. "Judith, you've gone too far!"

Perhaps earlier, when I'd caught him eating Ellie's leftovers, some small part of him still felt guilty toward me.

Now that guilt was gone.

"I've been too lenient with you. That's why you think you can do whatever you want."

"As punishment, I'm freezing every single one of your cards."

Ellie had been crying just a moment ago. But the second she heard that all my cards were being cut off, the corners of her mouth curled upward, impossible to hide.

"Oh, that seems a bit harsh, Mr. Matthews. Tonight was supposed to be your wife's treat. If you freeze all her cards, how is she going to pay the bill?"

"This dinner tab has to be at least ten thousand dollars. That's more than enough to press charges. If Mrs. Matthews can't pay, the police will probably take her in."

Bruno drew a deep breath. "Judith, apologize to Ellie. Do that, and I'll let tonight go."

"Apologize to her? Have you lost your mind, or have I?"

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.

"Are you blind? She was the one digging her nails into me. I barely touched her. That fall was an act!"