Chapter 4 - The Tables Turn
Dennis dropped his crystal glass. It shattered against the hardwood floor, spraying amber whiskey and glittering shards across the kitchen tiles. Serena shrieked, jumping up from her chair as heavy, rhythmic footsteps marched straight down the hallway toward the kitchen.
Tori stepped into the doorway.
She wasn't crying. Her face was a mask of cold, terrifying stone. The veterinary jacket was gone, replaced by her old army-issue canvas jacket, the dark fabric clinging to her shoulders like armor. Her eyes locked onto Dennis with a predator's absolute focus.
"T-Tori!" Dennis stammered, scrambling backward against the kitchen counter, his face draining of all color. "What... what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the hospital with Meadow?"
"You left our injured daughter alone in a trauma ward to come home and drink whiskey with my sister," Tori said, her voice dangerously quiet, cutting through the kitchen like a razor blade.
"It was an accident!" Dennis lied frantically, throwing his hands up in a defensive gesture. "She fell while playing dress-up! You know how clumsy she is—"
Crack.
Before Dennis could finish his sentence, Tori crossed the kitchen in two blindingly fast strides and struck him across the face with the back of her hand. The impact sent the grown man stumbling sideways, crashing hard into the refrigerator door before sliding down to the floor, clutching a bleeding lip.
Serena backed away, pressing herself against the pantry door, trembling from head to toe. "Tori, please! Don't be crazy! We can talk about this—"
"Shut your mouth," Tori snapped, her gaze snapping toward her sister with such intense fury that Serena immediately went silent, gasping for breath.
"You both bet on the wrong person," Tori said, stepping over the shattered glass on the floor. She pulled her phone from her pocket, activating the speakerphone feature just as sirens began wailing loudly outside, turning the street into a flashing strobe light of red and blue.
Through the phone speaker, a sharp, official voice echoed clearly into the kitchen: "State Police Unit 4 on site. Perimeter secured. Suspects detained upon entry."
Dennis looked up from the floor, panic finally breaking through his arrogant facade as he heard the heavy boots of state troopers swarming the front porch. "Tori, you can't do this! I'm a respected man in this town! I have connections—"
"Your connections just lost their funding," Tori interrupted coldly.
Three state troopers and the county sheriff burst into the kitchen, guns holstered but hands ready. The sheriff, looking deeply uncomfortable as he recognized Tori, immediately stepped forward.
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"Victoria... we received your call and the hospital report. We're placing Dennis Hawthorne under immediate arrest for felony child abuse, aggravated assault, and endangerment."
As the troopers hauled Dennis up from the floor, slapping heavy steel handcuffs around his wrists while he shrieked and protested, Tori didn't flinch once. She watched him dragged out of the home he had built on lies and arrogance, knowing his pristine reputation was about to be shredded to pieces.
