Chapter 3 - The Monster Revealed
I stared at the black screen of my phone, desperate for the hallway camera to pick up a sound.
But the camera didn't have audio piercing enough to hear through the thick wooden door of Harper's bedroom.
Ten excruciating minutes passed before the bedroom door swung open again.
Clara marched out into the hallway.
Her face was twisted into an ugly, cruel scowl that I had never seen before.
She pointed a threatening finger back into the room.
Though I couldn't hear the words, her aggressive body language made my stomach turn.
A few seconds later, Harper stepped out of the room.
She was trembling so violently that the camera caught the shaking of her small shoulders.
She had a fresh red mark across her cheek.
I slammed my fist against the steering wheel of my car.
Tears of pure rage stung my eyes.
The woman I had married, the woman I shared a bed with, was a monster.
I wanted to drive back to the house, kick the door down, and drag Clara out onto the street.
But the rational part of my medical brain stopped me.
If I confronted her now without solid, undeniable proof of physical abuse, she would deny it.
She would call the police, claim I was crazy, and disappear with Harper forever.
I needed absolute leverage to ensure Clara could never come near this child again.
I spent the rest of the day in my car, watching the feeds like a hawk.
Nothing else physical happened, but the emotional abuse was glaringly obvious.
Clara ignored Harper for hours, forcing her to sit in a hard chair facing the living room wall.
When I finally drove home that evening, I felt sick to my stomach.
I walked through the front door, greeted by the smell of roasting chicken.
Clara came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on an apron, smiling her sweet, fake smile.
"Hi darling, how was the long shift?" she asked affectionately.
I looked into her eyes, searching for a trace of a soul, but found nothing but a void.
"It was exhausting," I lied smoothly.
I looked over at Harper, who was sitting quietly on the couch, staring at the floor.
May you like
I made a silent promise to her right then and there.
Tomorrow, everything was going to change.
