Ethan slowly turned toward Vanessa.
His voice shook with anger.
"Why was she locked outside?"
Vanessa casually adjusted the diamond bracelet on her wrist.
"She was being too loud."
The room fell silent.
Ethan stared at her.
"What?"
Vanessa sighed as though explaining something obvious.
"I had an important phone call."
"She kept interrupting."
"So I sent her outside for a few minutes."
Ethan couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"You locked my seven-year-old daughter outside?"
Vanessa shrugged.
"She was perfectly safe."
Chloe buried her face deeper into Ethan's shoulder.
He gently rubbed her back.
Then he felt her tiny fingers clutch his shirt.
"Daddy..."
She whispered through her sobs.
"She said..."
"...you only love her now."
The words hit Ethan harder than anything else that evening.
His daughter had already lost her mother four years earlier to a sudden illness.
She had struggled to accept the idea of someone new joining their family.
Instead of offering comfort...
Vanessa had filled her with fear.
Ethan looked down at Chloe.
She refused to let go of him.
He knew why.
She no longer felt safe inside her own home.