Chapter 2 - The Aftermath of the Blow
The sharp, echoing crack of Arthur's palm striking Evelyn’s face hung in the icy air of the dining hall.
Evelyn sprawled across the polished mahogany floor, her immaculate silk dress rumpled, her manicured hand clutching her rapidly swelling cheek. The fresh grapes she had been enjoying only moments before scattered across the floor, crushed underfoot. Her eyes, usually so calculated and cold, widened in absolute, terrified shock.
"Arthur... how could you?" Evelyn gasped, her voice trembling as she attempted to play the victim, tears welling up in her eyes on command. "I... I was only trying to discipline her! She was being stubborn! You don't know what happened before you walked in!"
Arthur ignored her entirely. His six-foot-two frame shook with a mixture of raw fury and overwhelming guilt. He knelt on the floor, ignoring the dirty dog bowl, and pulled little Lily into his arms. The three-year-old child was hyperventilating, her tiny body shivering uncontrollably in her stained clothes. Smears of dirt and cold cereal coated her chin, and her soft brown eyes were wide with a terror that no child should ever know.
"Daddy’s here, baby," Arthur whispered, his deep voice cracking as he pressed his face into her soft, messy hair. "Daddy’s got you. I’m so sorry, Lily. I’m so, so sorry."
Lily buried her face into the lapel of Arthur’s suit jacket, her tiny fingers clutching his tie like a lifeline. "Daddy... no more bowl... please..." she whimpered, her voice raspy from hours of crying. "Lily good girl... Lily not doggie..."
Arthur felt as though a blade had been plunged straight into his heart and twisted. He looked up at Evelyn, and the sheer, lethal hatred in his gaze made her back away, crawling across the floor until her spine hit the velvet chair she had been sitting on moments earlier.
"You monster," Arthur said, his voice dropping into a register so low and dangerous it made the room feel sub-zero. "I gave you my home. I gave you my late wife's ring. I trusted you with my daughter."
Maria, the terrified maid who had recorded the entire incident from behind the door, stepped out into the open, clutching her phone to her chest. Her face was soaked in tears, but her posture was firm. "Mr. Sterling... I have it all on video," Maria said, her voice shaking with emotion. "Every second of it. She told Lily that if she didn't eat from the bowl, she would lock her in the dark basement overnight."
Evelyn’s face drained of what little color it had left. "Maria, you lying snake! Arthur, she’s setting me up! She wants you to fire me so she can steal from this house!"
"Shut your mouth!" Arthur roared, standing up slowly while holding Lily securely against his chest. He turned to Maria. "Maria, call Dr. Harrison. Tell him to bring his emergency pediatric kit to the master bedroom immediately. Then call my head of security, Jackson."
"Yes, Mr. Sterling! Right away!" Maria hurried out of the room, leaving the broken family behind.
Arthur stared down at Evelyn, who was now weeping loudly, trying to reach out to touch his trouser leg. "Arthur, please! Think about our reputation! Think about the Sterling name! It was a mistake—a terrible mistake! I was stressed—"
"You have five minutes to take your personal belongings and get out of my house," Arthur cut her off, his eyes cold as ice. "If you are still on my property when Jackson arrives, I will personally throw you into the street."
"You can't kick me out!" Evelyn shrieked, dropping her pathetic act as her eyes flared with vindictive rage. "I’m your legal wife! Half of this estate is mine! You touch me again, and I’ll sue you for domestic abuse! I’ll ruin you in court!"
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Arthur looked at her with pure disgust. "Try it, Evelyn. Because when that video hits the police department and the press, the only place you’ll be living is a six-by-eight prison cell."
Without another word, Arthur turned his back on her and carried his traumatized daughter up the grand staircase, leaving Evelyn screaming threats into the empty, echoing halls of the Sterling mansion.
