Chapter 1 - SILK AND BRUISES
The hallway floor was polished to a glass mirror finish.
A toddler girl in faded pink pajamas dragged her feet against the slick oak.
Her small hands were wrapped around the neck of a white plush bunny, its fur matted with tears.
Behind her, heels clicked violently against the floorboards.
A woman in a dark green silk blouse leaned over, her long fingers entangling in the child's soft, light brown hair.
She yanked back hard.
The toddler's scream tore through the quiet warmth of the suburban home.
Her knees buckled, her tiny body collapsing onto the runner rug.
The woman didn't stop dragging her.
"Get up," the woman hissed, her dark hair swaying against her jawline.
Suddenly, a shadow fell across the hallway light.
A man in a crisp white button-down shirt appeared from the living room entry.
He didn't yell.
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He simply hurled his heavy frame forward, his shoulder colliding with the woman's side.
She flew sideways, her black heels skidding out from under her as she crashed into the entryway wall.
