Mark pulled his smartphone from his inner jacket pocket, tapping the screen a few times before holding it up toward the crowd of guests.
On the high-definition display, a recorded video played clearly, complete with high-fidelity audio.
The video showed Chloe grabbing Lily forcefully by the arm in the hallway, dragging her toward the basement door while Lily pleaded and cried.
The camera captured Chloe shoving the little girl inside, slamming the heavy wooden door shut, turning the brass lock, and walking away with a cruel smile on her face.
A collective gasp echoed across the grand living room from the gathering guests.
Guest 1: Good Lord... she actually locked the child in the dark!
Guest 2: That is appalling! Look at how she dragged her!
Guest 3: And she stood here acting like nothing happened!
Chloe: Turn that off! Delete that video right now!
Mark: This video has already been automatically uploaded to my attorney's secure server, Chloe. It cannot be deleted.
Evelyn: Mark, please! Think about our family name! The newspapers will destroy us!
Mark: You destroyed yourselves the moment you decided to treat my daughter like garbage.
Chloe: Mark, I'm sorry! I was stressed! The party preparation was overwhelming me!
Mark: Stress doesn't turn a person into a monster, Chloe. It just reveals who they really are when no one is watching.
Lily: Daddy, can we go get Buster now?
Mark: Yes, sweetie. We're going to get Buster, and then we are packing our bags.
Chloe: Packing your bags?! Where are you going?!
Mark: We are going to our lake house. And while we are gone, my legal team will be filing for an immediate divorce, an order of protection, and full custody clearance.
Chloe: You can't just leave me here with a broken table and forty angry guests!
Mark: You wanted a party, Chloe. Now you can entertain your guests all by yourself.