Mark carried both children into the living room and placed them gently on the plush velvet sofa.
He retrieved a clean glass of water from the kitchen counter to help calm Emily down.
Her leg was still in a light grey cast after her accident three long weeks ago.
She had no business crawling across hardwood floors while holding an infant on her back.
"Daddy is right here now, so nobody is going to hurt either of you," Mark whispered softly.
He wiped the tears from her freckled cheeks while Tommy fell asleep against his chest.
Sarah slowly walked into the living room while holding a thick stack of white legal papers.
Her green silk blouse rustled loudly in the quiet room as she stood near the fireplace mantle.
"You were never supposed to come home early from your business meeting today, Mark," Sarah said coldly.
"Explain to me why my injured daughter was terrified out of her mind," Mark demanded fiercely.
Sarah held up the legal papers and pointed toward the official rubber stamps on the front page.
"This house and the entire family trust belong to my estate now," Sarah declared without any remorse.
Mark stood up straight while keeping his voice low so he would not frighten the children further.
"What are you talking about, Sarah? That money belongs to Emily and Tommy's future college funds."
"My brother needed a loan for his real estate company," Sarah replied while turning her gaze away.
"So you scared our children so you could search my desk for the mortgage deeds?" Mark asked.
Emily pulled her small blue denim overalls tight around her knees as she listened in silence.
"I told her to stay in her bedroom until six o'clock," Sarah hissed back defensively.
"She thought you were in danger because you locked her in her room!" Mark shouted angrily.
The truth hit Mark like a heavy sack of concrete in the center of his chest.
His wife had emptied their shared bank account while he was away working long hours at corporate headquarters.
She had taken advantage of his trust to fund her brother's failing business empire in the city.
Now she was trying to claim sole ownership of their suburban family home through fraudulent legal filings.
Mark took a deep breath to steady his racing pulse before making his next critical decision.
He knew he had to protect his young children from any more fear or emotional harm.