Chapter 89 Losing Everything

Scarlett’s POV I stood there in the garden, my cheek throbbing from the scratch, my mind a tangle of fear and humiliation. David’s anger still lingered in the air, thick as smoke. Lucas clung to his stuffed rabbit, glaring at me like I was some kind of monster. That’s when I heard hurried footsteps. My father, Marcus, bustled in, his expression twisting as he took in the scene, me with a bleeding cheek, David clutching Lucas in his arms, and the tension so sharp. Marcus’s eyes darted between us, and for a moment I thought, surely now, he would defend me, side with his only daughter. But David didn’t give him the chance. He barely spared Marcus a glance before snarling, “So this is the kind of household you run, Marcus? You let your own daughter hit a child? What kind of upbringing is that?” Marcus’s mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. He looked everywhere but at David’s furious eyes, the colour draining from his face. I flinched, heat flooding my face. I shot Marcus a plead