Chapter 1 - The Ultimatum
"If you don't leave immediately," James added, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, "I will physically remove you from this property and have you arrested for assault."
Lauren's nervous laugh completely died in her throat as she stared into his cold eyes.
She looked desperately toward our parents for any sign of support, but they remained frozen in their seats.
My mother stared down at her untouched turkey, while my father nervously gripped his wine glass.
"You are all insane," Lauren spat, grabbing her expensive designer purse from the back of the chair.
She stomped toward the front door, the sharp clicking of her heels echoing loudly in the silent house.
Before she walked out into the freezing snow, she turned around and glared directly at me.
"You are going to regret this, little sister," she hissed with genuine venom in her voice.
The heavy oak door slammed shut behind her, rattling the festive wreaths hanging on the windows.
I let out a breath I did not realize I was holding, clutching Emma tightly against my chest.
James walked over and wrapped his strong arms around both of us, kissing the top of my head.
"We are leaving right now," he announced to my parents, completely ignoring their weak attempts to apologize.
We quickly packed the baby's diaper bag and marched out to our heavy military-grade SUV.
The drive home was incredibly tense, the silence only broken by Emma's soft, rhythmic breathing in the backseat.
I felt a strange sense of dread washing over me, wondering what Lauren meant by her final threat.
We pulled into our quiet suburban driveway just as the midnight snow began to fall heavily.
James turned off the engine and immediately froze, his military instincts flaring to life.
He reached into the glove compartment and pulled out his heavy tactical flashlight.
May you like
I followed the beam of light and felt my heart completely drop into my stomach.
Our front door was cracked wide open, and muddy combat boot prints trailed directly into the dark hallway.
