Chapter 3
I hung up on Arthur Voss.
Then I stared at the phone like it had become another kind of poison.
He called back immediately.
I declined.
A text appeared.
Arthur Voss: You are emotional. Let the adults handle this.
Another.
Arthur Voss: Elena made a mistake. Do not ruin your life over a frightened child’s imagination.
I looked at Sophie sleeping in the hospital bed.
A frightened child.
That was all she was to him.
Not my daughter.
Not the little girl who had saved my life.
A problem.
A witness.
I screenshotted everything and sent it to my attorney, Grace Lin.
Grace called in less than a minute.
“Do not respond,” she said.
“I already hung up.”
“Good. Is Sophie safe?”
“She’s asleep.”
“And Elena?”
“At the station.”
“For now.”
That chilled me.
“What does that mean?”
“It means Arthur Voss can move fast. We need a protective order before morning.”
Grace arrived at the hospital at 2:30 a.m. wearing a black coat over sweatpants and carrying a legal pad.
That was how I knew she was serious.
Grace never allowed chaos to touch her clothes unless the situation was terrible.
She sat across from me in the waiting room.
“Tell me everything.”
So I did.
The tea.
The smoke.
The bottles.
The sleepy drops.
Arthur’s call.
Grace wrote without interrupting.
When I finished, she asked, “Do you have security cameras at home?”
“Outside.”
“Inside?”
“No.”
Then I stopped.
Claire.
My first wife had installed baby monitors when Sophie was small.
After Claire died, most were boxed away.
But one camera had stayed plugged in near the playroom because Sophie used to wave at it.
I had forgotten.
Maybe Elena had too.
I opened the old app with a shaking thumb.
It still loaded.
The camera angle showed the playroom door and part of the hallway leading to Sophie’s bedroom.
Grace leaned closer.
“Go back to last night.”
I scrolled.
There was Elena at 9:41 p.m.
She walked down the hallway carrying Sophie’s pink cup.
She entered Sophie’s room.
Four minutes later, she came out with the cup empty.
Grace’s face hardened.
“Save it.”
I kept scrolling.
The app stored thirty days.
Thirty days became a nightmare.
Elena entering Sophie’s room at night.
Elena carrying cups.
Elena standing outside the door listening.
Elena taking Sophie’s backpack, opening it, and placing something inside.
Elena grabbing Sophie by the arm when my daughter tried to leave her room.
Once, Sophie stumbled into the hall, sleepy and confused.
Elena crouched in front of her and whispered something.
Sophie nodded like a child being trained.
I could not breathe.
Grace placed a hand over mine.
“Daniel.”
“I left her alone with that woman.”
“You were deceived.”
“I was her father.”
Grace did not argue.
Good.
I did not need comfort that night.
I needed truth.
At sunrise, Ramirez returned.
“Elena’s out,” he said.
My head snapped up.
“What?”
“Her father posted bail. But we have an emergency order in process.”
“She drugged my child.”
“And we are building that case.”
“Building?”
Ramirez’s expression remained steady.
“I know that word sounds ugly right now. But evidence has to survive court.”
Grace stood.
“It will.”
By afternoon, the temporary protective order was granted.
Elena could not come near me or Sophie.
Arthur could not contact us directly.
I thought that meant we had room to breathe.
I was wrong.
At 5:15 p.m., my sister Rebecca came to the hospital.
She hugged Sophie first.
Then she looked at me with red eyes.
“Daniel, I need to tell you something.”
I stepped into the hall with her.
“What?”
“Claire called me before she died.”
My body went still.
“Why are you saying that now?”
“Because she was scared of Elena.”
I stared at her.
“I didn’t even know Elena then.”
May you like
Rebecca’s voice dropped.
“Claire did.”
