Chapter 2 - The Door Blows Open
The heavy double doors of the mansion groaned on their hinges before exploding inward with thunderous force.
A cold blast of evening wind rushed into the heated estate, cutting through the suffocating tension like a razor.
Standing in the doorway was fifty-two-year-old Marcus Vance, his tall, broad-shouldered frame silhouetted against the dark driveway.
His tailored charcoal-black suit was immaculate, but his piercing gray eyes instantly locked onto the raised leather weapon in his wife's hand.
The briefcase in his left hand dropped to the marble floor with a heavy, final clatter.
Marcus did not hesitate for a single second as the horror registered behind his sharp jawline.
He surged across the grand foyer with the terrifying speed of an apex predator defending its young.
Before Evelyn could swing the belt toward Julian's face, Marcus’s iron grip clamped onto her slender wrist.
The sheer force of his momentum wrenched the brown leather belt violently out of her grasp.
Evelyn let out a startled shriek as her fingers lost their purchase on the brass buckle.
Marcus did not stop his forward drive; he shoved her backward with decisive, controlled paternal fury.
Evelyn staggered across the slick floor in her four-inch black stilettos, her balance completely destroyed.
Her hip slammed brutally into the edge of the expensive marble console table near the grand entryway.
The impact shuddered through the stone furniture, dislodging a massive antique porcelain vase perched on the surface.
The delicate vase wobbled precariously for a heartbeat before tumbling into the open air.
It collided with the hard marble floor, exploding into hundreds of razor-sharp white shards that scattered across the room.
Evelyn gripped the bruised edge of her hip, her face draining of color as she stared up at her husband.
Marcus planted himself like an impenetrable steel wall between his wife and his two trembling children.
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"Get the hell out of my house!" Evelyn screamed wildly, her voice cracking as she attempted to mask her terror with arrogance.
Marcus stood motionless, his gray eyes burning with a dark, lethal quiet that silenced the entire estate.
