Chapter 3
Six-year-old Chloe stood just a few paces away, clutching the black smartphone tightly against her pale pink sweater with white trousers. Her brave little face was etched with a maturity no child should ever possess, her tear-filled eyes fixed firmly on her protective uncle.
"Don't let her hurt Mommy anymore, Uncle Ethan," Chloe pleaded softly, her voice carrying a haunting vulnerability that tore at the very fabric of Ethan's soul. Ethan stepped forward, his dark red tie shifting slightly as he placed himself squarely between his family and their tormentor.
