Fighting

"Veronica, no matter how you try to explain it, you've lied to me for years, deceived me for years, made a fool of me for years! How can you say that was all for me!" His roars echoed through the mansion's halls, filling its every room with his rage.

"Roland, I just want to say—"

"No! Nothing you say will convince me of your innocence; nothing you say will convince me this isn't a betrayal; nothing you say can make me trust you again."

"Please, let me explain. It's not as simple as it seems—"

An irritated sigh escaped Roland's lips. "You don't get it."

By this point, the staff living in the mansion had gotten up to see what the commotion was all about. In nightgowns and pajamas, they lined the bannister of the second floor, looking down at the drama like they were at the theatre.

"Roni… Veronica… Nightingale." His expression got sterner as he listed the names he had for her. One had only ever been said with affection; one had only been used when they were distant, before they knew each other; one was an unwelcome addition to the list.

"No matter what you say, I can't trust you; this is just too much."

The tears in Veronica's eyes had long since started flowing. She stammered, "R—Roland, please, just hear what I have to—"

"No!" His rage had deafened him to her pleas.

Her lack of progress made Veronica panic. If this went on, Roland would never hear her out, and when he left, it would most likely be forever. A frenzied look appeared in her eyes as she screamed, "WILL YOU JUST LISTEN TO ME?!"

Roland was taken aback by this. Yet another side of her that he hadn't seen.

However, his surprise was soon replaced by an overwhelming sense of indignation. She, the person who had lied to him for years, the person who was clearly in the wrong, was shouting back at him?

The rage that had diminished through his ranting surged up once more, and the pair began to scream at each other, not caring about the crowd of spectators, which now included a little girl.

Maggie, who had been woken from her sleep, had come out to see what was going on. To her surprise, she saw Veronica with the man they'd watched on the computer, Roland. They were arguing, screaming as loud as possible as if they were worried their neighbors might not hear it.

The scene reminded her of that night.

Her mother and father had started arguing like usual. It had probably been over something trivial, but the subtext of their argument had been the same as always: their unhappy, failing marriage.

As the shouting escalated, her father, unable to contain his anger, had lashed out at her mother.

Maggie watched Veronica and Roland's row through the bannister, like she had been that night, and was unable to get the image of blood pouring from her mother's head out of her mind.

Overwhelmed, she began to sob.