Then Marcus remembered the video.
His daughter's tears.
Vanessa's instructions.
And the way Mason looked frightened when his mother demanded his phone.
He took a slow breath.
Then asked his sister to remain with the children while he spoke with his attorney.
Marcus's family attorney had handled his late wife's estate and several personal legal matters.
The lawyer knew the household structure.
He knew that Marcus was Lily's father and that Mason was Vanessa's biological son.
He also knew Marcus had made financial arrangements intended to protect Lily's future after her mother's death.
When Marcus described the incident, the attorney became serious.
He advised Marcus to preserve the recordings, avoid altering messages or files, and cooperate with the child-protection and medical processes already underway.
He also recommended that Marcus obtain legal advice concerning separation and the children's immediate living arrangements.
The attorney didn't promise that a video automatically proved every allegation.
Nor did he suggest Marcus could resolve Mason's situation simply by deciding the boy should remain in the house.
Mason's legal relationship to Marcus was different from Lily's.
That required careful handling.
But the lawyer made one point clear.
The children should not be placed back into a situation where they were being pressured or punished for reporting concerns.
Marcus understood.
He arranged for Vanessa to stay elsewhere temporarily while the immediate concerns were assessed, with the details handled through legal advice and any necessary protective measures.
Vanessa initially refused.
She accused him of trying to throw her out of her own home.
Then she threatened to call the police and claim he was preventing her from seeing Mason.
Marcus didn't argue about her rights in the kitchen.
He told her the situation needed to be handled through the appropriate authorities and legal procedures.
He wasn't going to physically force her out.
He also wasn't going to allow her to intimidate the children while everyone tried to determine what had happened.
Vanessa stared at him.
For several seconds, her expression shifted between anger and calculation.
Then she asked something that made his stomach tighten.
"Have you checked your email today?"
Marcus frowned.
"Why?"
She gave a thin smile.
"Maybe you should."