Mark rounded the island, slamming both of his heavy palms onto the quartz surface with a thunderous crack that made the glassware in the cabinets rattle. He leaned over the counter, his massive shoulders hunched, glaring down at Clara like a judge pronouncing a death sentence. "Get your things and get out!" he yelled, his face flushed red, the veins in his neck bulging against his collar. The order hung in the air, cold, final, and absolute.
Clara pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, wincing as a sharp pain shot through her hip. She stared up at him in absolute disbelief, her eyes swimming with tears that finally broke free and tracked down her blood-stained cheeks. "You're kicking me out?" she choked out, her tearful voice echoing faintly off the stainless-steel appliances. "After everything I've done for you? After everything I've sacrificed to keep this family together?"
Mark didn't blink. He rounded the corner of the island in a flash, dropping down to his knees in front of her. Before Clara could crawl away, his fingers shot out like iron bands, forcefully grabbing her jaw and pulling her face within inches of his own. His grip was agonizingly tight, pinching the bruises forming on her skin, forcing her to look directly into his storm-filled eyes. The sheer hatred burning in his dark irises made Clara's blood run cold.
Focusing on her terrified face, Mark leaned in closer until she could feel his hot, ragged breath against her skin. His teeth were tightly clenched, his eyes bulging with a terrifying mixture of fury and deep emotional agony. "Tell me what you did..." he hissed menacingly, his voice dropping into a low, terrifying growl that thrilled her to the core, "...before I make sure you regret it forever."