Chapter 3: The Shattered Supremacy
The wooden door slowly creaked open.
Evelyn turned, her mouth opening to deliver a sharp, pre-emptive insult to whoever dared walk into her kitchen. "I told you never to come into this house without—"
The words died in her throat.
Standing in the doorway was Robert, her husband and Clara’s father. He was a man of few words, a rugged, physically powerful construction foreman who had spent his entire life working with his hands. He was currently wearing his travel-worn coat, his face darkened by weeks of fatigue and his eyes burning with a sudden, lethal clarity.
He had heard the scream from the driveway. He had seen the steam. And now, he saw the pot.
Robert didn't speak. He didn't ask what was happening. He took one step into the kitchen, the floorboards screaming under his heavy work boots, and in a single motion, he knocked the heavy metal pot out of Evelyn’s hands. It clattered against the wall, splashing boiling water harmlessly against the peeling wallpaper.
Evelyn stumbled back, her arrogance evaporating instantly. Her face drained of color, her knees buckling as she realized the man she had lied to for months was standing over her.
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"Robert! Thank God, she... she attacked me! She’s crazy, Robert, you have to help me!" Evelyn shrieked, her voice cracking into a high-pitched, desperate whine.
Robert didn't look at her. He walked past her, his eyes fixed on Clara. He knelt, his massive, calloused hands gentle as he gathered his daughter into his arms, shielding her from the sight of the woman who had spent years destroying her.
