Chapter 1 - The Shattered Ties
The heavy porcelain plate shattered against the oak doorframe with a deafening crash.
Jagged white shrapnel exploded in every direction like deadly confetti.
David did not flinch as a sharp piece of ceramic sliced through the fabric of his coat and grazed his shoulder.
His only focus was the trembling five-year-old boy tucked safely against his chest.
Leo whimpered, his small hands clutching David’s jacket so tightly his knuckles were white.
"I've got you, buddy," David whispered into his son's hair, keeping his voice steady despite the rage boiling in his veins.
He didn't look back at the stunned silence that had fallen over the living room.
He kicked the front door wide open and marched out into the freezing November night.
Behind him, his aunt’s shrill voice pierced the cold air, screaming curses that faded as David reached his truck.
He carefully secured Leo into his car seat, inspecting the swollen, bruised lip and the vicious red scratches on his fragile neck under the dome light.
Seeing the damage in the bright light made David’s hands shake with a violent, primal fury.
He slammed the truck door shut, climbed into the driver's seat, and locked the doors just as his uncle burst out of the house.
The older man pounded his fists against the passenger window, his face purple with alcohol-fueled rage.
David ignored him entirely, slamming the truck into reverse and kicking up a cloud of gravel as he sped out of the driveway.
He was never going back to that house.
As they drove toward the nearest hospital, Leo let out a soft, heartbreaking sniffle from the backseat.
"Are you mad at me, Daddy?" the boy asked, his voice trembling with fear.
David’s heart shattered into a million unrecognizable pieces.
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"No, Leo, I am not mad at you," David promised, looking at his son through the rearview mirror.
"I am mad at them, and they are never going to hurt you again."
