Chapter 4 - THE EMPTY PLATE
The man placed a heavy hand on top of Lily’s messy blonde hair.
He did not look down at his daughter.
His stare remained pinned to the woman in the beige blouse.
His chest expanded beneath the light blue cotton, stretching the buttons tightly across his sternum.
He took one slow step forward, dragging Lily’s weight slightly across the floor.
Mason’s hand twitched on the table.
His fingers curled tightly around his silver fork.
The metal dug into his palm, leaving deep, crescent-shaped indentations in his skin.
He looked at the piece of bread abandoned on the floor near his mother’s high heels.
"She didn't steal."
Mason’s voice was louder this time, piercing the heavy silence.
The woman snapped her head toward him, her lips pressing together into a thin, colorless line.
She glared at him, a silent warning screaming from her brown eyes.
Mason swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing against the collar of his blue polo.
He didn't break eye contact with his stepfather.
"Mom said Lily wasn't allowed dinner."
The words dropped onto the table like heavy stones.
The man’s hand stopped moving over Lily’s hair.
His fingers stiffened, locking into a rigid claw.
He slowly withdrew his hand from his daughter’s head.
He closed the distance between the archway and the dining table in two massive strides.
He stopped mere inches from the woman.
He towered over her, casting a long, dark shadow that eclipsed the warm chandelier light.
"You denied my daughter food?"
The man’s jaw muscle jumped violently beneath his skin.
The woman tilted her chin upward.
She adjusted her posture, locking her knees to stand taller in her heels.
She met his gaze, her expression completely smooth, like polished marble.
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"She needed discipline."
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