"Stay away from Will," Angela repeated, each word a hammer pounding the finality of her command. Her breaths came fast and shallow, painting the autumn chill with the heat of her rage.
"Or you'll regret it."
Carol's hands lifted, a barrier to the onslaught. "Angela, this isn't what it looks like. We were just?—"
"Chatting?" Angela's laugh was brittle, jagged. "I'm not blind, Carol."
"Really, it's not—" Carol's protest withered under Angela's glare.
"Save it." Angela stepped closer, voice low and menacing. "I see how you look at him."
"Angela…."
"Shut up!" The command sliced through Carol's feeble defense and severed it clean. Her voice boomed now,unrecognizable even to her own ears—a tempest unleashed. "You think I don't notice? The 'casual' touches, the sly glances?"
"Angela, please—" Carol's eyes darted, seeking an escape that wasn't there.
"Stay away from my family." Each word was a bullet, precise and lethal. "Stay away from my life."
"Angela, listen to me," Carol implored, but her words evaporated in the raw heat of Angela's fury.
"Or what?" Angela's voice crescendoed, a violent wave crashing against the shore. "You'll what, Carol?"
"Nothing! I swear, Angela?—"
"Swear on what? Your deceit?" Angela's scorn was palpable, thick in the air between them. "I don't want your empty promises."
"Angela, no threats are necessary," Carol tried, a tremor in her voice betraying her composure.
"Threats?" Angela's laugh was dark, humorless. "No, these are promises, Carol. Promises."
"Angela…." Carol backtracked a step, a silent plea for reprieve.
"Stay. Away." The finality in Angela's tone left no room for argument, an iron-clad decree as she towered over Carol, an avenging fury in human form.
"Enough." Will's hand was on Angela's shoulder, a firm yet gentle weight. "Angela, come back inside."
She spun, her blue eyes alight with the fire of betrayal. "You're defending her?" Her voice was a whip, each word stinging.
"Defending? No, I'm—" Will's gaze flickered between the two women, seeking a foothold in the maelstrom.
"Allowing," she spat the word as if it were venom. "Allowing her to worm her way into our lives."
"Angela, you're seeing things that aren't there." His words, meant to be soothing, only fueled the flames.
"Seeing? Or doyou just wish I was blind to it?" Her chest heaved with the force of her breaths, an accusing finger pointed squarely at him now.
"Please, let's go inside and talk about this," Will pleaded, his voice tight, laced with urgency.
"Talk?" She laughed, cold and bitter. "Like you 'talk' with Carol?"
"Angela, stop this!" Will's hands held her arms, but his grip faltered under the sheer heat of her anger.
"Stop protecting her!" She shook free, eyes never leaving his, a silent demand for truth.
"Protecting? I am not—" He struggled for composure, his plea dissolving into the chill of the coming night.
"Angela, you know I would never do anything to hurt you," Will's voice cracked like thin ice beneath heavy steps, his eyes searching hers for some sign of the trust they once shared.
