Vicki had endured a lot in her time on EastEnders, but nothing could have prepared her for the venom that poured out of Joel during his latest tirade. It wasn’t just anger—it was calculated, personal, and designed to wound her in ways that would linger long after the shouting stopped. The tension had been building for weeks, each exchange between them simmering with unspoken resentment and barely controlled hostility. But tonight, Joel finally snapped, unleashing words so sharp they seemed to cut through the very air of The Queen Vic. Vicki’s hands shook as she tried to process what had just happened, her heart pounding in her chest as if it was trying to escape. Joel’s twisted outburst was unlike anything she had heard from him before—not just in tone, but in the cruel precision of his accusations. He didn’t just question her decisions; he dismantled her character, dragging up painful moments from her past and twisting them into weapons. The pub fell into a stunned silence, every patron frozen in place as if afraid that moving might provoke him further. Even those who had seen countless public rows in Albert Square could sense there was something darker at play here. Joel’s eyes burned with a mixture of rage and something else—something almost triumphant, as though hurting Vicki was an accomplishment. Vicki, for her part, felt her voice catch in her throat. She wanted to fight back, to defend herself, but the sheer force of his verbal assault left her reeling. The words echoed in her mind, each one lodging itself like a splinter she couldn’t remove. As he stormed out, the slam of the door rattled glasses on the bar, jolting everyone back to reality. Sharon, ever the steady presence, moved quickly to Vicki’s side, guiding her to a seat before she collapsed. “Don’t listen to him,” Sharon whispered, but Vicki couldn’t even nod. Her mind was racing, replaying the outburst over and over, trying to understand what could drive Joel to such cruelty. Was it just anger, or had he been waiting for the right moment to break her? The days ahead would only bring more questions. Neighbours began to gossip, theories circulating about what might have pushed Joel over the edge. Some believed he was hiding something and lashing out to deflect suspicion. Others thought his behavior was a sign of deeper trouble—perhaps a dangerous spiral that could soon consume more than just Vicki. For Vicki, the realisation that someone she once trusted could so easily turn on her was perhaps the most devastating blow of all. The outburst had not only shattered her sense of safety but had also cracked open old wounds she thought had healed. Alone in her flat later that night, she stared at her reflection, wondering if Joel had meant every word or if they were simply designed to hurt. Either way, the damage was done. The question now was whether Vicki could rebuild her strength before Joel’s wrath returned—or if this was just the beginning of something far worse. And in EastEnders, beginnings like this rarely end well.