The foyer was silent now, save for the harsh sound of breathing and the low rumble of a passing summer storm outside the high windows. Evelyn stood on the third step of the grand staircase, looking down at Clara with clear disdain. Her red velvet gown rustled softly as she shifted her weight, holding her golden necklace tight against her throat like a shield of status and pride.
Julian: How dare you speak to my mother that way in my house!
Clara: Your mother humiliated me and you hurt everyone!
Evelyn: Know your place! You never belonged in this family!
Clara: I will sign whatever divorce papers you want, just let me go!
Julian: You are not going anywhere to ruin my reputation with a messy lawsuit!
Julian pulled her closer, his hand tightening around her wrist. Clara struggled, trying to pull her arm back, but her foot slipped on the slick marble floor. As she caught herself against the wooden wall, Julian swung his hand violently to break her grip. His fingers raked across her face, leaving three dark red scratches along her left cheek. Clara gasped loudly, tears bursting from her eyes as the physical shock washed over her whole body.
Clara: You hit me! You actually put your hands on me!
Julian: You made me lose my temper! Look at what you made me do!
Evelyn: Do not cry like a victim, Clara. You pushed him to his limit.
Clara: I am pregnant with your baby! How could you do this?
Julian: You mean nothing to me if you cannot obey simple rules in this house.
Clara slumped against the base of the staircase, holding her wet cheek with one hand while keeping her other arm tightly wrapped around her stomach. The pain in her face was sharp, but the cold realization that her husband felt no regret was far worse. Evelyn stepped down one stair, pointing a long, manicured finger at Clara's face with complete indifference.
Evelyn: Get up from the floor. You look disgraceful sitting there like that.
Clara: Stay away from me! Both of you stay away from me!
Julian: Shut your mouth before I make you leave right now!
Evelyn: Let her leave. She has no money, no lawyer, and nowhere to go.
Clara: My father will come for me! He will help me!
Julian laughed, a harsh, dry sound that echoed off the tall ceiling and the American flag hanging on the wood paneling above them. He turned his back on her for a second to pick up his fallen wallet from the side table, completely unbothered by the tears streaming down his wife's scratched face.
Julian: Your father is nobody, Clara. He cannot help you against my family.
Evelyn: He is thousands of miles away, working a low-level job. He is useless.
Clara: He loves me! That is something neither of you understands!
Julian: Love does not hire top corporate defense attorneys, Clara.
Clara: God will punish you for what you did to me today.
Before Julian could answer her, the heavy sound of tires grinding across the gravel driveway outside cut through the silence. A large black vehicle pulled up right outside the front doors, its engine idling with a deep, low hum. Clara lifted her tear-stained face, watching the shadows shift behind the tall frosted glass of the double entrance doors.