Chapter 4 - The Hidden Camera**
The rain began to fall against the hospital windows as Detective Marcus Vance pulled out his digital notepad.
"Mr. Miller, Samantha Reed filed an emergency domestic assault report against you twenty minutes ago," Detective Vance stated.
"She claims you threw her through the patio glass doors after she tried to disarm you," the detective added, looking Ethan dead in the eye.
Ethan stood up slowly, keeping one hand protective on Maya’s shoulder.
"She raised a wooden baseball bat at a seven-year-old child!" Ethan shouted, his restraint finally snapping.
"Do you have video evidence to prove that allegation?" the officer asked coldly.
Ethan froze, a sudden realization lighting up the dark corners of his memory.
He remembered the smart-home security camera embedded within the frame of the American flag hanging on the living room wall.
"I have full high-definition video with audio," Ethan said, his voice instantly dropping back into a firm, confident tone.
The detective exchanged a brief, skeptical glance with his partner before nodding toward the corridor.
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"Show me the footage within the hour, Ethan, or I'm forced to execute a domestic warrant," Vance warned.
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