Lily reached out her tiny arm toward the glittering salt shaker on the table.
Her hand brushed against Megan's full glass of sparkling fruit punch.
The glass wobbled precariously on the linen tablecloth for one brief moment.
Megan leaned forward sharply and aggressively slapped the tray of the high chair.
The loud bang made baby Lily startle instantly and burst into hysterical tears.
Megan glared down coldly at the frightened infant without showing a sliver of sympathy.
Megan: You stupid little brat, keep your hands to yourself!
Clara rushed into the frame from the kitchen with a panicked expression on her face.
Her heart pounded violently against her ribs at the sound of her crying baby.
Clara: You actually screamed right in my baby's face like that?!
Megan touched her own cheek casually and looked away without any visible remorse.
Megan: It was barely anything, Clara, stop acting so dramatic!
Clara quickly scooped up baby Lily from the high chair into her protective arms.
She pressed the sobbing child against her chest and rubbed her small back lovingly.
Clara: She is a baby, Megan, you terrified her on purpose!
Megan: She almost ruined my custom designer sweater with her messy hands!
Mark sat at the end of the table with intense rage building in his eyes.
His jaw clenched tight as his face turned pale with absolute fury.
He stood up slowly from his chair, his heavy fists clenching at his sides.
The silence in the room became deafening over the sound of Lily's cries.
Mark stepped around the dining table toward Megan with dark and furious eyes.
Mark: You put your aggressive hands near my daughter's face?!
Megan recoiled in her chair as she finally noticed the sheer anger in Mark.
Megan: I was just setting boundaries, Mark, calm down right now!
Mark: Boundaries with an eight-month-old infant who did nothing wrong?!
Clara backed away toward the living room entrance while holding her daughter close.
Her instincts told her to keep the baby far away from the hostility.
Mark charged forward another step and pointed a trembling finger toward the main front door.
Mark: Get out of my house right this second before I snap!
Megan stood up quickly, knocking her chair backward against the hardwood floor.
Megan: You cannot speak to me like that in front of my sister!
Clara: Mark is completely right, Megan, you need to leave immediately!
Megan grabbed her designer purse off the side table with trembling hands.
Her face burned with red embarrassment as her aggressive mask finally slipped off.
She realized she had pushed her cruel behavior way too far this time.
The warm holiday atmosphere was now completely ruined by her nasty outburst.