Marcus had to force himself to do the opposite.
He had to walk calmly past the danger and temporarily leave his daughter behind while pretending nothing was wrong.
Every step felt like betrayal.
Some instinctive part of him insisted that a real father should not walk away from an endangered child, that he should storm into the kitchen, take Lily, and end everything there.
But the colder part of Marcus understood something harder.
The immediate, dramatic confrontation might feel satisfying, but it could also alert Sarah, destroy evidence, and place Lily directly in the center of a chaotic argument.
Real protection, in this case, required him to appear to do nothing for a little longer.
He had to trust that quietly gathering proof would protect Lily more completely than any emotional confrontation could.
He walked out the door.
He left his daughter there for a few more hours so he could take her away permanently.
