Chapter 1 - THE GLASS ON THE FLOOR
“You’re lying! You hurt me every day!”
Four-year-old Sophie Bennett’s voice cracked through the Malibu kitchen.
Ethan stopped in the dark hallway.
He had come home six hours early.
Vanessa did not know that.
Neither did Sophie.
Vanessa stood beside the marble island with a glass of ice water in one hand.
She looked almost bored.
“Stop making up stories.”
Sophie flinched before Vanessa even moved.
That tiny reaction did more to Ethan than the words.
He stepped into the light.
“She isn’t making anything up.”
Vanessa froze.
The glass trembled once.
Then the smile came.
Fast.
Perfect.
“Ethan.”
She set the glass down carefully.
“You scared me.”
Sophie ran toward him.
Not normally.
She kept one arm pressed against her ribs.
Ethan caught her.
“Easy.”
“I’m okay.”
She said it too quickly.
Vanessa sighed.
“She bumped herself playing.”
Sophie buried her face in Ethan’s shirt.
“No.”
Ethan looked at Vanessa.
“I already know about the bruises.”
The color left her face.
He had found one the previous week.
Purple beneath Sophie’s shoulder blade.
Vanessa said playground.
The preschool said they had no incident report.
Then Ethan found another bruise behind Sophie’s knee.
Vanessa said bathtub.
He stopped asking Vanessa after that.
He started watching.
Vanessa folded her arms.
“You’ve been spying on me?”
“No.”
A pause.
“Not enough.”
Sophie’s fingers tightened in his shirt.
Vanessa laughed once.
It sounded wrong.
“Ethan, she’s four.”
“I know how old my daughter is.”
“She tells stories.”
“So did your first husband?”
Vanessa’s mouth opened.
Nothing came out.
Ethan stepped closer.
“And I know what happened to him.”
The glass slipped from Vanessa’s fingers.
It shattered.
Sophie jumped so hard she cried out.
Ethan immediately turned away from Vanessa.
“Hey.”
He crouched.
“Look at me.”
Sophie was staring at the broken glass.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“I made her drop it.”
“No.”
Ethan’s voice softened.
“You didn’t.”
Vanessa backed toward the hallway.
Ethan noticed.
“Don’t.”
She stopped.
“What exactly do you think you know?”
“I know Daniel Cross didn’t fall down those stairs the way you said he did.”
For the first time, Vanessa looked frightened.
Then she looked past him.
Toward the security panel near the pantry.
One small green light blinked.
Ethan followed her eyes.
The kitchen camera was offline.
Vanessa smiled again.
This time it was different.
“Then you don’t know nearly enough.”
Upstairs, something heavy hit the floor.
Ethan looked toward the ceiling.
Sophie whispered into his neck.
“Daddy.”
“What?”
May you like
“There’s a man in my room.”
