Chapter 2 - The Frozen Kitchen
Veronica’s face drained of color as Ethan’s words echoed off the white marble walls of their Greenwich mansion.
The framed American flag on the kitchen wall seemed to loom over her like an silent, impartial judge.
Ethan kept his hand clamped firmly on Veronica’s shoulder, holding her against the marble island while small, terrified whimpers escaped nine-year-old Lily.
"Ethan, please, you're hurting me!" Veronica cried, her dark eyes darting desperately toward the front entrance. "The child lied to you!"
"Lily didn't say a single word, Veronica," Ethan hissed coldly, his chest heaving under his tailored light grey suit jacket.
He reached into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out a sleek black smartphone, tapping the screen to reveal a live camera feed.
"I installed hidden pinhole cameras in every room three days ago after noticing the dark bruises on her wrists," Ethan revealed with lethal calmness.
Veronica gasped, her chest rising and falling rapidly under her emerald green silk blouse as the reality of her exposure set in.
Nine-year-old Lily wiped her tear-stained cheeks with her pink sleeve, stepping carefully behind her father's tall frame for protection.
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Outside the grand front doors, the loud wail of approaching Connecticut State Police sirens shattered the suburban morning quiet.
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