He held her.
For a moment, his body trembled.
He felt how light she seemed.
He smelled the unfamiliar odor of dog food near her mouth.
He saw the red marks on her forearm where Vanessa had gripped her.
His voice came out in a whisper.
"Sweetheart, what happened?"
Amelia buried her face against his shirt.
She was sobbing now.
The desperate, exhausted sobs of a child who had spent two days trying not to make enough noise to attract another punishment.
"I was hungry."
Daniel closed his eyes.
He held her tighter.
Behind them, Vanessa finally found her voice.
"Daniel!"
She stepped forward with a bright, unnatural smile.
"You're home early!"
He did not turn.
She continued.
"Sweetheart, you should have called. I would've prepared something special."
Daniel slowly lifted his head.
His eyes met hers.
"What is my daughter doing on the floor?"
Vanessa stopped smiling.
For a moment, she glanced toward the dining room.
Then she laughed nervously.
"Oh, that. Amelia was playing with Biscuit. You know how children are."
Daniel looked down.
His daughter's hands were shaking.
A piece of dog kibble lay beside her knee.
Biscuit stood protectively near her shoulder.
He looked back at Vanessa.
"Playing?"
She nodded quickly.
"Yes. She likes pretending she's a puppy."
Daniel stared.
Then he reached into his suit pocket.
He removed his phone.
Vanessa's smile faltered.
"Daniel?"
He touched the screen.
Turned it toward her.
And pressed play.
A video began.
Vanessa's voice filled the kitchen.
Get down there, you ungrateful little brat.
The metallic sound of the dog bowl scraping across the floor followed.
Then Amelia's small voice.
Please... I haven't eaten in two days.
The video continued.
Vanessa watched herself kick the bowl toward the child.
Then watched Amelia lower her face toward the food.
Daniel stopped the recording.
For a moment, the room remained absolutely silent.
Then he spoke.
His voice was so controlled that Vanessa instinctively stepped backward.
"The camera recorded everything."
Vanessa opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Daniel looked toward the dining room.
Diane sat frozen.
Trevor stared at his plate.
Lauren had begun crying.