Howard stared at Carli. The vein in his forehead throbbed violently.
"You are insane," Howard roared. "You would destroy your own family?"
Carli sat perfectly still. She looked up at the man who had ignored her for twenty-five years. She felt nothing but pity.
Keri panicked. She lunged forward to grab the new stack of papers. Carli slapped her hand away hard.
Lilah saw her chance. She ran forward and grabbed Howard's arm. "Daddy, don't be mad! Carli is just acting crazy because Vaughn dumped her!"
It was the wrong thing to say. The mention of public humiliation pushed Howard over the edge. He ripped his arm away from Lilah.
He swung his thick arm back. He put all his weight into it.
His open palm cracked against the left side of Carli's face.
The sound of the slap echoed like a gunshot. The force of the hit snapped Carli's head to the side. Her cheek burned like fire. Her teeth cut into the inside of her lip. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.
The room went dead silent. Keri covered her mouth in shock. Lilah couldn't hide the massive smile spreading across her face.
Carli slowly turned her head back. She raised her thumb and wiped a drop of blood from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes were completely dead.
She didn't cry. She didn't scream.
She stood up. She looked down at Lilah, who was standing right next to her.
Before anyone could breathe, Carli swung her arm. She slapped Lilah across the face with every ounce of strength she had.
Lilah screamed. The force of the blow knocked her off her feet. She crashed onto the expensive Persian rug.
Lilah grabbed her rapidly swelling cheek and burst into loud, hysterical sobs.
"My baby!" Keri shrieked, dropping to her knees next to Lilah.
Howard raised his fist again, his face twisted in rage.
The front doors of the living room burst open. Vaughn stumbled inside. His eyes were red and puffy from the pepper spray, his face a blotchy, tear-stained mess. His chest heaved with ragged breaths. He must have driven like a madman, breaking every speed limit on the highway to track her down here so quickly. He had come to beg for forgiveness.
He stopped dead when he saw Lilah crying on the floor.
Vaughn's hero complex kicked in. He ran over and pulled Lilah into his chest. He glared at Carli with pure disgust. "What is wrong with you? Why are you so evil?"
Carli looked at her ex-fiancé holding her stepsister. The absurdity of it all hit her. She let out a loud, sharp laugh.
The sound of her laughter made everyone freeze.
Carli picked up a heavy gold pen from the table. She slammed it down on top of the trust papers. She pointed at the front door.
"Five," Carli said, staring right at Howard. "Four. Three."
Howard's hands shook. The threat of the IRS audit terrified him more than anything else in the world.
"Two," Carli said.
Howard snatched the pen. He pressed down so hard the nib almost tore through the paper. He signed his name at the bottom of the page.
Carli pulled the signed page out from under his hand. She checked the signature. It was perfect. She slid it into her bag.
She turned around. She ignored Keri's screaming. She ignored Vaughn's glares. She ignored Lilah's crying.
She walked to the front door. She picked up the gold-embossed gala invitation from the floor and dropped it into the trash can.
She walked out into the cold wind, leaving the monsters behind.
