Chloe did not wait for David or Evelyn to process the situation any further. Her anger boiled over in an instant as she stomped toward the sofa where Leo was huddled tight behind his grandmother's back. She raised her right hand high into the air, pulling her arm back with full force to strike the young boy across his face.
Chloe: Shut up right now, you ungrateful little brat!
Leo closed his eyes tight and screamed, burying his head deep into the side of Evelyn's sweater. Evelyn tried to shield the boy with her own body, raising her arms up in desperation to block the incoming hit. But before Chloe's hand could descend on the defenseless child, David leaped forward with explosive speed.
David reached out his large hand and caught Chloe's wrist tightly right in mid-air, inches away from his son's face. The force of his grab stopped her arm completely in its tracks, sending a sharp shockwave through her arm. Chloe gasped in shock as her body jerked back from the sudden resistance.
David: Don't you ever raise your hand against our son again!
Chloe: Let go of me right now, David! You are hurting my wrist!
David: You are the one hurting people in this house! Look at what you did to his arm!
David held her wrist with an iron grip, refusing to let her break free no matter how much she twisted her arm. His chest heaved up and down as fury overtook every part of his body. He looked directly into the eyes of the woman he had loved and provided for, searching for any sign of remorse or guilt, but he found nothing except cold arrogance.
Evelyn: How could you do this, Chloe? He is just a little boy who loves you!
Chloe: Stay out of this, old woman! You have been spoiling him since the day he was born!
David: Do not speak to my mother like that! And do not lie to my face ever again!
Chloe tried to use her free hand to push David away, but he stood firm like an immovable wall between her and the rest of the family. The air in the room felt thick and heavy with tension, filled only with the sound of Leo's soft whimpering behind his grandmother.
Chloe: He is lying, David! I swear on my life he fell at the park! Why are you taking the word of a seven-year-old child over your own wife?
David: Because children do not make up marks like that on their own skin!
Chloe: He is clumsy! You know how clumsy he is! He hits himself all the time!
David: Did you really abuse our son?! Answer me right now!
Chloe: No! I am telling you the absolute truth!
David leaned in closer to her face, his jaw clenched tight and his eyes burning with intense anger. He knew that arguing in circles would solve nothing, and he knew that he needed undisputed proof before taking the next critical steps to protect his child.
David: We are checking the CCTV cameras right now!
The moment those words left David's mouth, the arrogant look on Chloe's face vanished entirely. Her skin turned a ghostly shade of pale white, and her lips parted in utter shock. Her eyes widened with sudden terror as she realized what those words meant for her future.