Camille nodded.
Tears filled her eyes.
Then Zuri spoke.
Her voice was tiny.
“Mommy.”
Everyone turned.
The little girl sat rigidly in her chair.
Her plate remained untouched.
She looked toward Malik.
Then toward her mother.
“Can he eat now?”
Vanessa's expression changed.
“Zuri, sweetheart—”
The child began crying.
“Please.”
For a moment, Adrian felt as though the room had tipped sideways.
Zuri wasn't his biological daughter.
But he'd been part of her life for more than two years.
He took her to school events.
Helped with homework.
And taught her how to ride a bicycle without training wheels.
He loved her.
Now he realized she'd been witnessing the same cruelty Malik endured.
Maybe she hadn't been its primary target.
But that didn't mean she'd escaped it.
Adrian approached her chair.
“Zuri.”
She looked up.
He crouched.
“Sweetheart, you haven't done anything wrong.”
Her face crumpled.
“I tried.”
His throat tightened.
“What did you try?”
She looked toward Malik.
Then whispered.
“I gave him snacks.”
For several seconds, Adrian couldn't speak.
Zuri continued.
“Sometimes he didn't get dinner, so I put food outside his door.”
Her shoulders shook.
“Mommy said not to.”
Vanessa stepped forward.
“Zuri, that's enough.”
The little girl flinched.
Adrian immediately stood.
“Don't.”
Vanessa stared.
He looked toward her.
“Don't tell either child to stop speaking.”
The room became silent.
Zuri began crying harder.
Camille approached her and offered a hand.
The little girl took it.
For a moment, Adrian looked toward both children.
His son in a stained hoodie.
His stepdaughter in a navy school shirt.
Two children who had been trying to protect each other while the adults around them failed to recognize what was happening.
He felt sick.
Vanessa looked toward the doorway.
Then back at him.
For the first time, she seemed uncertain about whether she could regain control of the conversation.
Adrian took a breath.
“Evelyn, will you stay with the children for a moment?”
His mother nodded.
“Of course.”
He turned toward Vanessa.
“We need to speak in the next room.”
She lifted her chin.
“Finally.”
But Adrian didn't allow the conversation to become the private argument she wanted.
He kept the door open.
He maintained a calm distance.
And he told her clearly that he was arranging for the children to be somewhere safe while professionals assessed the situation.
Vanessa stared.
“You're removing my daughter from her own home?”
Adrian shook his head.