Chapter 4 - The Tipping Point
"No, sweetheart. I'm not mad at you," Marcus whispered, his chest heaving as he wrapped his suit jacket around her tiny, shivering shoulders. He could feel her collarbones through her shirt—she felt light as a feather, far thinner than she had been three months ago when he first brought her here.
He stood up, holding Lily securely in his arms, and turned toward the doorway.
Vanessa was standing in the threshold, her arms crossed tightly over her magenta blouse. The soft, elegant facade was completely gone now, replaced by a cold, sharp bitterness.
"You're making a huge mistake, Marcus," Vanessa said quietly, her voice devoid of any warmth. "You bring your dead brother's charity case into my home, expect me to play mother to a broken, traumatized kid, and then turn on me because of a bitter maid's lies?"
"Look at her, Vanessa!" Marcus roared, the sound shaking the quiet hall. "She is starving! She is locked in a dark room without a blanket! What did you do to her?!"
"I did what was necessary to discipline an ungrateful child!" Vanessa snapped back, stepping into the room. "She doesn't belong here, Marcus! She reminds everyone of your brother's failures, and she doesn't fit into our life. I offered her discipline. If she wants to act like a wild animal, she gets treated like one!"
The utter lack of remorse in Vanessa's voice made Marcus's blood run cold. He realized in that agonizing second that the woman he had married three years ago was a complete stranger—a master manipulator who hid her malice behind expensive silk and polite society smiles.
"Pack your things," Marcus said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, low whisper.
Vanessa blinked, startled. "What?"
"I said pack your things and get out of my house," Marcus repeated, stepping past her into the hallway. "If you are not gone by tonight, I will have security remove you."
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Vanessa let out a harsh, bitter laugh. "Remove me? Marcus, this house is in both of our names. Half of your firm’s stock is tied up in our prenuptial agreement conditions. If you try to kick me out, I will burn your reputation to the ground. I will tell the press, your board of directors, and the courts that you were the one abusing her."
She leaned in close, her eyes narrowing. "Who do you think the public will believe? The billionaire CEO who is never home... or his philanthropic wife?"
