Just as he was about to speak, Eleanor edged up behind him, right on cue, and opened her mouth.
"Neville, don't be angry with Celia anymore."
"It's all my fault. That's the only reason she threw me out of the room."
"Celia, I know you did nothing wrong. It was all me."
"Let me kneel down and apologize to you properly, all right?"
Even now, she was still putting on a show.
But the pain was so bad I couldn't get a single word out.
All I could do was glare at her, shaking with fury.
If I could, I would have torn that mask off her face and made Neville see.
See exactly what kind of vile creature Eleanor really was. Catching sight of me, filthy and broken inside that dog cage, she curled her lips into a cold little smile where no one else could see.
Then, in front of everyone, she really did drop to her knees in front of me, every gesture pure performance.
She even bowed her head to the ground in apology.
"Celia, it's all my fault."
"Whatever you're upset about, take it out on me."
"I know I'm a divorced single mother. I deserve to be hated and resented and thrown out of the house."
"Since you can't stand having me around, I'll leave right now. I won't be an eyesore to you anymore."
"I only beg you, don't be angry with Neville over this. Please?"
Eleanor knelt before me, tears streaming down her face like rain on pear blossoms.
At the sight, what little tolerance Neville had left for me vanished in an instant.
He helped Eleanor up, then settled her into a chair.
When he turned his head back toward me, there was nothing in his eyes but boundless disgust.
"Celia, you really are vicious!"
"All this time I thought you were kind and sensible and considerate. I never imagined you could be this poisonous behind closed doors."
"I told you, Eleanor just had her baby. She's still weak and fragile. I asked you to take better care of her."
"And instead you threw her out of the house, and nearly caused her to hemorrhage. She almost died."
"I truly regret ever falling for a hypocrite like you!"
"And now you won't forgive her, and you keep up this stubborn act!"
"Fine. Today I'm going to make you pay. I'll teach you exactly what it means to get what you deserve."
With that, he raised the whistle again, about to blow it.
In the crowd, there were plenty of women who couldn't bear to watch, and one after another they spoke up to plead for me.
"That's enough, isn't it? Look at her, the dogs already stripped her bare and shredded her clothes, and she's covered in this many wounds."
"Her face is so pale, and her belly's a little swollen. She really does look like she's pregnant."
Hearing that, Neville's hand froze just as he was about to blow the whistle.
And in the moment he wavered, undecided.
Eleanor, right beside him, crumpled to the floor at exactly the right time.
Neville rushed to gather her into his arms.
"Eleanor, are you okay?"
Eleanor shook her head and, right in front of me, made a show of leaning into Neville's embrace.
"Neville, I'm fine. It was my own carelessness that made me fall and start bleeding."
"None of this has anything to do with Celia."
"Just forgive Celia this once, please."
Wounded tears slid slowly down Eleanor's cheeks at precisely the right moment.
Seeing her like that, the faint trace of forgiveness Neville had felt toward me an instant ago was wiped away completely.
This time, he didn't hesitate for even a second. He turned toward the two mastiffs and blew the whistle.
"Carelessness, my foot. If she hadn't shoved you, how could you possibly have bled like that!"
"Celia, since you did wrong, then you'll take the punishment you've earned."
"Bite her hands! Crush them!"
