"Mr. Fox, if you need to take your anger out on someone, just beat me to death. Professor Delgado only did this to help me..."
Sabina looked at him with aching tenderness, then turned on me with fury:
"Stephen, how can you be so heartless? Eustace was assaulted. His own family turned their backs on him. They were going to force him to drop out and go back to his village to marry some widow with kids. I was just shielding him from that. Can't you show a little compassion?"
"No!"
My voice trembled with rage:
"If he's pitiful, that's between his parents and the people who hurt him! He could've said no! He could've gone to the police! Why does MY marriage and MY happiness have to be the sacrifice?"
"Or maybe..."
My voice cracked, thick with tears:
"Maybe nothing ever happened to him at all. Maybe you two were just—"
The slap landed before I could finish the sentence.
Sabina stood with her hand still raised, her face twisted with anger:
"Don't you DARE talk about him like that! I already told you, Eustace and I only got married on paper! Why do you insist on assuming the worst about people?"
Our shouting drew neighbors from the floors above and below, crowding the hallway to watch.
Someone called out to Eustace and Sabina:
"Eustace, who is this guy? What's his deal with your wife?"
Eustace stammered, eyes darting:
"He's... he..."
The wounded, suggestive look on his face said everything his mouth didn't.
The neighbors' expressions shifted instantly. Disgust settled over their faces as they turned on me. One of them shoved me hard in the chest:
"They're about to get married and you're still harassing the man's wife? You look decent enough on the outside. Have some shame!"
"Yeah! Someone get a picture of him! Post it online!"
I laughed in disbelief. I grabbed my suitcase and slammed it down in front of them:
"Sabina, why don't you tell them who's REALLY chasing someone else's spouse!"
The suitcase bounced open on impact. Eustace let out a shriek and crouched down.
Sabina looked at his leg, at a red welt no bigger than a fingernail.
Her expression darkened in an instant:
"Stephen! Are you DONE? Eustace and I are legally married! So tell me, who's the one harassing someone else's spouse?"
I stared at her, stunned. A bitter laugh escaped my throat:
"Sabina. This is what you call a fake marriage? You got a marriage certificate and you're still calling it fake?"
She realized her slip the moment the words left her mouth. Guilt flickered across her face before she deflected:
"All this over a stupid bracelet? You came here to assault people over a bracelet?"
"Stephen, I never knew you were this cold. This selfish. This inhuman!"
My eyes went wide as Sabina stormed back into the apartment.
She came out holding the bracelet I treasured more than anything in this world.
And she hurled it at the ground.
"You want your bracelet so badly? Take your piece of junk and GET OUT!"
"No!" I lunged forward, hands outstretched, but I wasn't fast enough.
I watched the bracelet shatter against the floor.
My head snapped up. I looked at Sabina with something she had never seen in my eyes before.
Not love. Not patience. Not forgiveness.
Hatred.
Even through her rage, it shook her. For one brief moment, panic crossed her face.
But the next second, Eustace whimpered through his tears:
"Professor Delgado, my leg really hurts. Do you think it could be fractured?"
Sabina snapped back to attention immediately. She wrapped her arm around him and swept past me toward the stairs.
"Don't worry. I'm taking you to the hospital."
She moved fast, ruthless in her urgency, and slammed straight into me where I crouched on the floor.
I tumbled down the steep staircase and hit the landing hard.
Gasps erupted from the onlookers. My voice came out weak, calling after her.
Sabina never turned around.
Before my eyes closed, the last thing I saw was—
