Marcus continued wiping the table.
"I said I'm sorry."
"That's all you ever say. Sorry, sorry, sorry. But you never seem to learn."
Vanessa watched silently.
Then she added, "Richard, perhaps this is what happens when he isn't taught to take responsibility for his actions."
Marcus stopped wiping.
He looked at her.
"I am taking responsibility. I'm cleaning it."
Vanessa's expression changed.
"Don't raise your voice."
"I'm not raising my voice."
Richard suddenly leaned forward.
"Don't argue with her."
Marcus lowered his eyes.
"I'm not arguing."
"Then stop talking."
The boy became completely silent.
He stared at the yellow stain spreading across his hoodie.
His eyes began to fill with tears, but he tried desperately to hold them back.
He could hear the other people shifting uncomfortably in their seats.
Nobody wanted to become involved.
Nobody wanted to challenge Richard.
And Marcus suddenly felt smaller than he had ever felt in his life.
He had not broken an expensive object. He had not insulted anyone. He had not deliberately ruined the dinner.
He had simply made a mistake.
Yet the way his father looked at him made him feel as though he had committed something unforgivable.
Richard pointed toward the mess.
"Clean it properly. And don't expect anyone to help you."
Marcus nodded.
"Okay, Dad."
His voice was barely audible.
Vanessa leaned back in her chair, seemingly satisfied that the situation had been brought under control.
But what neither of them noticed was the expression on the face of Richard's older brother, James.
James had arrived late and had been sitting quietly at the opposite end of the table. He had watched the entire incident without saying anything.
He knew Richard's temper.
He knew Vanessa's influence.
But he also knew Marcus.
He remembered the cheerful little boy who used to run through the family garden, laughing so loudly that everyone could hear him. He remembered how Marcus had once proudly shown him a drawing of the family, with his mother and father standing beside him.
Now that little boy was sitting at a dinner table, apologizing for an accident while trying not to cry.
James finally placed his fork down.
"Richard."
His brother looked at him.
"What?"
"That's enough."
Richard frowned.
"Excuse me?"
"I said that's enough. The boy made a mistake. He's cleaning it up. What else do you want him to do?"
Richard shook his head.
"James, stay out of this."
"I'm not staying out of anything when I see a child being humiliated over spilled food."
Vanessa immediately intervened.
"Nobody is humiliating him. We're teaching him responsibility."
James turned toward her.
"Responsibility is not the same thing as humiliation."
Richard's face darkened.
"This is my son. I know how to raise him."
James nodded.
"Then start by remembering that he's your son, not an employee who made a mistake at work."
Nobody moved.
Marcus slowly placed the napkin on the table.
He wanted to tell his uncle that everything was fine.
He wanted to ask him to stop arguing.
But before he could speak, James noticed something.
A small tear had fallen onto Marcus's cheek.
And that single tear changed the entire atmosphere.
James stood up and walked toward the boy.
"Come here, Marcus."
The teenager hesitated.
"Uncle James, I'm okay."
James shook his head gently.
"I didn't ask whether you were okay. I asked you to come here."
Marcus slowly stood.
James placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Go wash your hands. I'll talk to your father."
Marcus nodded and walked toward the kitchen.
When he disappeared, James turned toward Richard.
"How long has this been happening?"
Richard frowned.
"What?"
"How long has your son been afraid of you?"
Richard gave a dismissive laugh.
"Don't be ridiculous."
"I'm not being ridiculous. I watched him apologize three times for something that wasn't intentional. I watched him struggle to explain himself because he knew you wouldn't listen."
Richard crossed his arms.
"He's becoming disrespectful. He needs discipline."
James looked at him for several seconds.
"Do you remember when Angela died?"
Richard's expression changed.
"Don't bring her into this."
"Why not? She was his mother. She loved that boy more than anything in the world."
Richard looked away.
James continued.
"She once told me that Marcus was a sensitive child. She said he felt things deeply, and that he needed patience more than punishment."
"Angela isn't here anymore."
"No. She isn't. And that's exactly why you should be more careful."
Richard remained silent.
James lowered his voice.
"Your son lost his mother. He didn't choose that. He didn't ask to grow up in a house where he feels like he has to earn permission to exist."
Vanessa stood up.
"That's completely unfair. I have done everything possible to help raise him."
James turned toward her.
"Then perhaps you should start asking yourself whether what you call helping is actually helping."
Vanessa's face tightened.
Richard stepped forward.
"James, this conversation is over."
But James shook his head.