Chapter 3: The Truth Hidden in the House
Chapter 3: The Truth Hidden in the House
That night, after Sophie had fallen asleep wrapped around the white teddy bear I had brought home, I opened the security camera app connected to our home.
Hours of recordings filled the screen.
At first...
Nothing unusual.
Then I watched Claire send Sophie outside because she had dropped a spoon.
Another clip showed Sophie eating alone while Claire hosted friends in the dining room.
Then came the recording from that afternoon.
Claire pointed toward the foyer.
"You don't eat until every mark disappears."
Sophie nodded.
"But my knees hurt."
"Then scrub harder."
I couldn't watch anymore.
The next morning, Claire walked downstairs carrying a suitcase.
"You've overreacted enough."
I calmly slid a folder across the table.
Inside were printed screenshots from the security cameras.
A report from Sophie's pediatrician documenting her recent weight loss.
Photographs of the bruises on her knees.
Claire's confidence disappeared.
"I can explain."
"No."
"You can leave."
She laughed nervously.
"You'd end our relationship over this?"
I looked toward the staircase where Sophie was quietly hugging her teddy bear.
"I would end anything that teaches my daughter she has to earn kindness."
Claire picked up her suitcase.
For once...
She had nothing left to say.
May you like
The front door closed behind her.
It never opened for her again.
