Mark stood near the entrance door, keeping his body pressed against the white wall.
The loud shouting came directly from the main living area upstairs in the high-key hallway.
Evelyn: You foolish little children are going to destroy my expensive luxury items!
Maya: We were just looking for our mother's old photo album in the closet!
Evelyn: You have no right to touch anything in this house without my permission!
Mark heard the sound of a heavy wooden cabinet door slamming shut violently.
His son Leo began to cry loudly, his small voice echoing off the white marble floor.
Leo: Please stop yelling at us, Evelyn, we did not mean to break anything!
Evelyn: Silence right now before I give you both something to really cry about!
Mark felt a wave of intense anger wash over his chest as he heard her voice.
He moved silently past the large ornate blue and gold porcelain vase standing in the hall.
He peaked around the hallway corner and saw Evelyn wearing a rust-orange designer dress.
She was standing over the two children with her face contorted in pure fury.
The children were huddled close together on the floor, covering their small ears with their hands.
Leo was holding his younger sister Maya tightly in his arms to shield her body.
Evelyn raised a heavy metallic decorative piece high above her head in complete rage.
Evelyn: I am sick and tired of you two interfering with my new life here!
Mark could not stay quiet for another single second as he watched the terrible scene unfold.
He burst out from behind the hallway corner with his denim shirt flapping open behind him.
Mark: Put that down right now, Evelyn!
Evelyn gasped loudly in surprise and spun around quickly toward the sound of his voice.
Her heels slipped slightly on the highly polished surface of the white marble floor.
She lost her balance as she tried to lower her arm in a hurry.
She stumbled backward right into the massive blue porcelain vase resting on the floor.
The heavy porcelain vase tipped over and crashed onto the floor with a deafening sound.
Shards of blue and gold ceramic exploded across the white marble tile in every direction.
Evelyn fell backward directly onto the pile of shattered pieces, groaning loudly in pain.
Mark did not even look at Evelyn as she lay groaning on the hard floor.
He sprinted directly across the hall toward his two terrified, crying children.
He dropped to his knees on the marble floor and wrapped his strong arms around them.
Mark: It is okay, daddy is right here now!
Maya: Daddy, she said you were never coming back home to us!
Mark: That was a complete lie, sweetheart, I am never leaving you alone again.
Leo buried his tear-stained face deep into his father's denim shirt, sobbing uncontrollably.
Mark held both of his children tightly against his chest, shielding them from the sharp debris.
Tears began to stream down Mark's face as he felt how hard his children were shaking.
Evelyn struggled to sit up among the broken blue shards, holding her bruised hip.
Evelyn: Mark, you need to help me up right now!
Mark: Do not move a single inch, Evelyn, or I will call the police immediately.
Evelyn: This was all an accident, the kids tripped me when I was walking by!
Mark: I saw everything with my own eyes from the hallway, Evelyn.