Chapter 5 - THE ARC OF THE PALM
Evelyn reached the bottom landing, her heels clicking against the oak floor.
She lifted her chin, her face setting into a mask of stubborn authority.
"Stop being dramatic," Evelyn said, waving her hand dismissively in the air between them.
"She didn't get hurt. It was a lesson in discipline. In this family—"
CRACK!
The sound echoed through the high-ceilinged foyer like the snap of a dry branch.
David’s open palm struck Evelyn across her left cheek with blinding speed.
The force of the strike turned her head sharply to the right.
Her silver earrings rattled against her neck, and her hand instantly flew to her burning, reddened skin.
Evelyn stumbled back against the wooden banister, her eyes wide with complete, unadulterated shock.
She breathed heavily through her nose, her pristine hair finally falling loose around her face.
"I am your mother!" Evelyn shrieked, her voice cracking for the very first time in her life.
David stepped forward, his body blocking the light from the front door, casting a long, dark shadow over the woman who raised him.
He pointed his index finger straight at her face, his finger resting barely an inch from her nose.
"You never touch my daughter again!" David bellowed.
"David! How dare you strike me—"
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"And she is my child," David cut her off, his voice dropping back into that terrifying, iron-clad whisper.
"Get out of my house."
