Melanie swatted the bowl out of her hands.
"Ah!"
Scalding broth splashed across Sylvia's body.
The skin on her arms turned an angry red almost instantly.
"Melanie."
"What is wrong with you? Sylvia offered you her food out of kindness, and you knock it all over her?"
I berated Melanie while digging ice out of the freezer to press against Sylvia's burns.
Melanie stood frozen, watching the scene.
A vein throbbed at her temple. She screamed, "Valentine, listen to me."
"It's either her or me in this house."
"Pick one!"
I'd been this hysterical once, too.
But Melanie, secure in how much I loved her, had barely reacted. She'd said, "Can you grow up? You think I can't survive without you?"
Now I felt about the same level of nothing.
Before I could respond, Boyd wheeled himself out of the bedroom.
"Valentine, Melanie, are you two fighting because of me again?"
"If I'm the reason you end up divorced, I'll never forgive myself."
"Maybe I should just leave."
His face was a picture of guilt.
On the surface, he seemed concerned for both of us. In reality, he was stoking the fire.
"Boyd, this has nothing to do with you. It's all because this man is too petty."