Chapter 1 - The Glass Breaks
The shattered safety glass sparkled like diamond dust across the black leather upholstery of the SUV. Adrian stood frozen for a fraction of a second, his knuckles bleeding and torn, dripping dark crimson onto the polished driveway.
Clara stumbled to a halt beside him, her white blazer stained with soot from the garage door sensor she had frantically tried to override. Her chest heaved as she stared into the back seat through the ragged hole Adrian had just punched into the tinted glass.
"What were you thinking, Adrian?" Clara screamed, her voice cracking with a raw, terrifying panic that pierced the humid afternoon air.
"Shut up and help me get the door open," Adrian growled, his face draining of all color as he wrenched the handle from the inside, ignoring the sharp edges biting into his palms.
"You left the keys in the ignition," Clara fired back, her hands trembling uncontrollably as she reached past him to unbuckle the pink-clad toddler who was choking on her own tears. "You walked away to answer that damn phone call about the foreclosure!"
"I didn't mean to, Clara! I thought you had her when we unloaded the groceries from the trunk!" Adrian yelled, his voice rising in desperate denial as he shoved his muscular frame further into the cabin.
Lily was limp, her skin burning hot to the touch, her little pink dress soaked in sweat. Adrian pulled her out into the harsh sunlight, pressing his ear against her chest to listen for a heartbeat.
"Is she breathing?" Clara cried, grabbing Adrian’s arm so hard her fingernails dug into his tattooed flesh.
"Call an ambulance right now!" Adrian shouted back, refusing to meet her terrified eyes.
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As Clara pulled out her phone, a small, blinking red light caught Adrian's eye from the floorboard beneath the child seat. It was a digital voice recorder he had never seen before, its tiny green LED pulsing in the dim interior.
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