CHAPTER 7
Richard turned too quickly.
The panic showed before he could hide it.
“She lost her balance,” he said.
Daniel did not move.
Emily slowly pushed herself upright on the sofa. Her hands trembled. Red wine stained her blazer. Her hair stuck to one damp cheek.
Vanessa took one small step back.
Daniel noticed that too.
“Emily,” he said, still watching Richard, “did he touch you?”
Richard laughed once. “Careful, Daniel. You’re walking into a domestic issue you don’t understand.”
Daniel’s face stayed calm.
That was the dangerous thing about him.
He did not need to raise his voice.
He had spent years in courtrooms, listening to powerful men explain why their violence was someone else’s fault.
Emily wiped her mouth with trembling fingers.
Richard looked at her, warning in his eyes.
Don’t.
But something inside Emily had already crossed the line between fear and freedom.
May you like
She sat straighter.
“No,” she said softly. “Your camera did.”
