Back in the dining room, Adrian sat beside Malik.
He'd placed Evelyn's phone face down on the table.
He hadn't played the recordings yet.
For the moment, the people in front of him mattered more than the screen.
“Malik.”
His son looked up.
Adrian swallowed.
“I need to know whether you're feeling all right physically.”
The boy hesitated.
“My stomach hurts.”
Adrian closed his eyes.
Then nodded.
“Okay.”
He looked toward Evelyn.
His mother understood.
She moved toward the kitchen, prepared water, and began arranging something simple for Malik to eat while Adrian contacted appropriate medical assistance.
He didn't ask the boy to consume an enormous meal immediately.
He didn't assume food deprivation could be corrected through one plate of pasta.
He wanted a qualified clinician to assess his son's condition, particularly because he didn't yet know how consistently Malik had been eating.
Vanessa watched from the opposite side of the table.
For a moment, her expression became incredulous.
“You're actually treating this like an emergency?”
Adrian turned.
His voice was calm.
“My son has been denied meals, and I just watched you throw food at him.”
She folded her arms.
“You're making it sound much worse than it is.”
He stared.
“You don't get to decide how serious this is.”
Vanessa's face hardened.
“I've kept this household functioning while you spent half your life traveling.”
Adrian took a breath.
“And I appreciate the work you've done for this family.”
For a moment, she seemed relieved.
Then he continued.
“But it doesn't give you permission to hurt a child.”
She stared.
The relief disappeared.
“You have no idea what he's like when you're gone.”
Adrian looked toward Malik.
His son immediately lowered his eyes.
Then Adrian turned back.
“Maybe I don't.”
For a moment, Vanessa seemed confused.
He continued.
“That's my failure to address. Not his.”
Silence.
Vanessa's expression shifted.
Then she looked toward Camille.
“Tell him.”
Camille went completely still.
Her sister pointed toward Malik.
“Tell Adrian how he behaves.”
Camille stared at the floor.
For several seconds, she didn't speak.
Then she looked up.
“I can't.”
Vanessa's face hardened.
“What?”
Camille's voice trembled.
“I can't keep pretending this is normal.”
Adrian looked toward her.
For a moment, he seemed almost afraid of the answer.
“Camille, what have you seen?”
She swallowed.
“Enough.”
Vanessa stepped forward.
“You ungrateful little—”
“Stop.”
Adrian's voice cut across the room.
Vanessa froze.
He turned toward Camille.
“Tell the truth to the people handling this. You don't have to argue with her.”