Mark carried Lily over to the comfortable sofa near the tall windows.
He sat her down softly and picked up her stuffed bear from nearby.
Father: Stay right here for just a moment while I handle this, Lily.
Lily wiped her wet cheeks and nodded her head slowly to him.
Mark turned back toward Victoria with steady, heavy steps across the room.
Father: How long have you been speaking to my daughter like this?
Victoria: You are blowing a tiny discipline moment completely out of proportion!
Father: I saw the way you stood over her when I walked in!
Victoria laughed softly, but her hands were shaking slightly at her sides.
Victoria: She fell on her own because she is clumsy, Mark.
Father: Do not lie to my face inside my own home, Victoria.
He remembered past weeks when Lily seemed unusually quiet and timid around home.
He had thought she was just missing her late mother during those times.
Now the horrible truth was becoming very clear to him in this moment.
Father: The housekeeper warned me last week that something was wrong here.
Victoria's eyes opened wide as her sharp composure began to fall apart.
Victoria: You have been listening to the servants behind my back, Mark?
Father: I listen to anyone who cares about the safety of my child!
Victoria: I am your wife, and I deserve respect in this mansion!
Father: Respect is earned by how you treat the people around you!
Mark stepped closer, his shadow stretching across the wide marble floor space.
Victoria tried to step backward, but her heel caught the carpet runner.
She stumbled back and landed right onto the clean marble floor nearby.
She looked up at Mark with sudden shock and deep embarrassment showing.
Victoria: How dare you corner me in my own living room like this!
Father: This is my home, and my daughter comes first every single time.
The giant American flag behind them framed the tense stand-off between them.