"No, he hadn't changed. He had not changed at all. In fact, he had at one time become worse before she had ended it. He had still upbraided, and cursed at them to no end, but he never hit them anymore, because she finally stood up to him two years before. He had slapped her for forcing him to stop hitting her mother.
That last time when he hit her was the last straw. She had slapped him back, on both cheeks, and hard. A lot harder than he had ever slapped her. She told him that if he ever hit either one of them again, she would put a hole into him with the gun.
She meant it then, and she meant it now. Since that time, he had not hit either Victoria, or Sandra. He had come close to doing it several times, but he saw the look in her eyes, and knew what she would do.
Now, as she heard him slap her mother once again, she snapped. She jumped out of the bed, and went to her door. She opened it quietly. She heard her mother crying softly. It most certainly had not been a dream before. It was reality.
"