Chapter 1
The bright modern hallway of the luxury home smelled of expensive polish and cold air conditioning. Elena stood near the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, her dark red sleeveless dress catching the sharp afternoon glare. She held her smartphone tightly in one hand while her designer handbag rested against her thigh.
Her voice cut through the quiet space with sharp annoyance.
“He does this whenever he wants attention.”
On the white carpet floor a few feet away, eight-year-old Leo sat in his small dark blue suit and crisp white shirt. His messy light brown hair fell across his forehead, framing pale skin and big hopeful hazel eyes that looked entirely defeated. Beside him sat a small wooden toy house, its painted roof slightly chipped.
Leo looked sad and hurt, his small frame trembling slightly as he stared down at the plush fibers beneath him.
His voice was barely a breath.
“Dad.”
Ricardo, a tall forty-eight-year-old man with dark hair and a neatly trimmed beard, stepped forward. He wore a matching dark grey suit and white shirt that marked his professional standing. He immediately knelt down next to his son, inspecting the boy’s arm with deep concern and tension etched visibly across his face.
Ricardo gently touched the bruised skin just above the boy's wrist.
“What happened to you?”
Elena turned slightly, her expression hardening as she gestured dismissively with her free hand.
“Ricardo, don’t make this bigger than it is.”
Leo looked up, his tearful and anxious eyes pleading directly with the man who knelt beside him. The emotional tension in the room grew suffocating.
Leo’s voice cracked slightly.
May you like
“Please… don’t let her take me upstairs again.”
Ricardo froze, his fingers lingering on the boy's bruised arm as a cold realization settled into his chest. He slowly turned his head to look up at Elena, whose phone screen suddenly lit up with a silent text message that made her instantly drop her gaze.
