Chapter 2: The Silent Room
The sharp sound of the slap bounced off the luxurious wood-paneled walls. Lily was thrown sideways by the force of the blow, her tiny hand flying to her bright red, stinging cheek. Large, fat tears immediately filled her innocent eyes, spilling over her eyelashes as she looked up in complete terror.
Beatrice stood there arrogantly, smoothing down her velvet dress, feeling completely justified. She thought she could strictly discipline the young child in front of all the wealthy guests, convinced that her elite status and her position as the head of the company gave her the absolute right to physically punish anyone who ruined her perfect, elegant evening. She assumed Garrett would just sit there in silence and agree with her harsh methods, too intimidated by her wealth, inheritance, and authority to ever speak up against his own mother.
The wealthy guests looked away, sipping their wine in uncomfortable silence, refusing to challenge the tyrant.
Lily turned her tear-streaked face toward her father. Her lower lip trembled violently as she whispered a question that broke the heavy silence of the room.
"Daddy... am I bad?"
Those four words hit Garrett like a physical blow to the chest. He looked at his weeping daughter, holding her stinging cheek, a little girl who didn't understand why her grandmother hated her so much. The same lavish dinner. The same toxic family abuse that Garrett had suffered through his entire childhood.
May you like
But this time, there was a fierce difference. Garrett was no longer a helpless boy. He was a father.
In a fraction of a second, Garrett’s initial shock shattered into pure, unadulterated rage. The wealth, the corporate inheritance, the family legacy—all of it became entirely worthless compared to the safety of the child in front of him.
