The small apartment was filled with a tense silence as Cesar walked through the door, a rare smile playing on his lips. In his hands, he held a stuffed animal and a delicate necklace, gifts he had picked up on his way home.
But his smile faded quickly when he saw Dinah, the two-year-old daughter of him and his partner Mark, hiding behind Mark's legs. Her eyes were wide and fearful as she stared at Cesar, and Mark's own gaze was cold and accusatory.
Cesar ignored Mark's stare and held out the stuffed animal to Dinah, but she refused to take it, clinging to Mark even tighter. Cesar's confusion and annoyance grew. "What's wrong with her?" he demanded.
Mark's voice was a mix of anger and sadness as he accused Cesar of causing Dinah's fear. "You know very well what's wrong with her," Mark spat. "Your abuse has caused her to be so scared that she hasn't even started talking yet."
Cesar's anger boiled over and he called Mark a liar, demanding Dinah to prove him wrong by speaking. But Dinah remained silent, her gaze flicking between Cesar and Mark.
In a fit of rage, Cesar grabbed Mark by the throat and threw him to the ground. He proceeded to punch, kick, and choke Mark, leaving him with a black eye, a bloody nose, a knocked-out tooth, broken fingers, bruises covering his body, and a broken leg.
As Cesar came to his senses and saw the damage he had caused, he picked Mark up and carried him to their bed. He begged for forgiveness, promising that it wouldn't happen again.
But Mark, in too much pain to speak, simply glared at Cesar, silently daring him to try and break his promise.
The tension in the apartment was palpable as Cesar and Mark stared each other down, the weight of Cesar's actions hanging heavy in the air. It was clear that things would never be the same between them again.
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