Chapter 5 - The Hand Raises
The melting ice cubes dripped steadily off the edge of the elevated patio, tapping against the pool of water on the ground.
Elise stood utterly still for three long seconds, her eyes wide as she registered the scene.
Her gaze shifted from the ruined lawn and the dropped items to the man kneeling in the mud like a beggar.
Gradually, her surprise vanished, replaced by a cold, sharp line around her mouth.
The elegant, loving stepmother persona she had worn for six months dissolved entirely.
She stepped further off the patio, her heels biting aggressively into the sod with every stride.
"Arthur," she said.
Her voice was low, clipped, and devoid of panicked inflection.
It sounded like a steel instrument dropping onto a sterile tray.
Arthur stayed on his knees, his back turned to her as he continued to sway his daughter back and forth.
Elise closed the remaining distance until she was standing directly over them.
The cream fabric of her skirt rustled faintly in the light breeze.
"She needed discipline," Elise said, her tone as matter-of-fact as if she were discussing the household grocery list.
The words floated in the humid air, heavy with a quiet, sickening authority.
Arthur’s shoulders locked.
Slowly, deliberately, he raised his head and turned to look up at her.
His eyes were bloodshot, surrounded by dark shadows of exhaustion and rage.
The thick muscles in his neck stood out like cords against his unbuttoned collar.
"She's two years old!"
The scream ripped from his throat—a raw, guttural roar that vibrated through his chest and shook the child in his arms.
Elise didn't flinch. Her light eyebrows arched slightly, her nostrils flaring in disdain.
"She is stubborn, undisciplined, and completely out of control," Elise countered, her voice sharpening into a razor's edge.
Her right arm twitched at her side.
Her fingers coiled into a tight palm before extending flat.
Without another word of warning, her hand came up in a fast, practiced arc.
It was a sharp, backhanded blow aimed directly at the small pink back of the trembling child Arthur was holding.
May you like
The air hissed as her palm descended through the gap between them.
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