Chapter 5 - The Retribution
The air in the hallway froze completely. The color drained from Victoria’s face, leaving her pale skin looking ghost-like against the rich burgundy fabric of her suit. The theatrical tears dried instantly on her cheeks, replaced by a momentary, naked panic that she scrambled to cover with righteous indignation.
"Richard, you're mistaken—you didn't see—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Richard snapped.
With a lightning-fast, sweeping motion, Richard stepped forward and brought the palm of his open hand sharply across Victoria’s face. The crack of the slap echoed through the marble hall like a gunshot, slicing through the air with violent, absolute finality.
The physical force of the blow snapped Victoria’s head to the side, breaking her balance and forcing her to stumble back two paces against the gilded wall. Her red hair whipped across her eyes as her hand flew to her burning, reddened cheek in utter, paralyzed disbelief. She stared at her husband with wide, unblinking eyes, her lips parted in shock. Never in five years of marriage had Richard raised a hand to her; never had he questioned her absolute dominance over the estate.
"Enough!" Richard shouted, his voice echoing off the vaulted ceiling with command that shattered the illusion of Victoria’s control once and for all. "I saw what you did! You kicked a defenseless woman from behind while she was holding a child!"
Victoria stood paralyzed against the wall, her hands trembling against her face as the rage and embarrassment burned through her veins. "She is a surrogate, Richard! She has no legal claim—"
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"She is his mother," Richard spat, the truth finally tearing through the web of lies Victoria had spent months weaving to secure her family's trust fund. "And you are a monster."
Without giving his wife another glance, Richard turned his back on her entirely. He dropped gracefully to one knee beside Clara, his grey suit trousers resting on the cold stone floor, and reached out with gentle, steady hands to support her back.
