He lowered the phone.
"I'm here, sweetheart."
His wife's expression shifted rapidly from surprise to irritation.
"What are you doing home?"
He didn't answer.
She glanced toward the phone.
"Are you recording me?"
"Yes."
"Without telling me?"
"I walked into my kitchen and watched you take food from my daughter."
The stepmother gave a short, disbelieving laugh.
"Oh, for heaven's sake. You're making this into something it isn't."
The father stepped toward the table.
His daughter immediately straightened.
That small movement stopped him.
She wasn't smiling because he'd come home.
She was trying to sit correctly.
Trying to look pleasant.
Trying not to cause trouble.
He knelt beside her chair.
"Sweetheart, look at me."
She hesitated before raising her eyes.
"Did you want that chicken?"
Her gaze moved toward her stepbrother's plate.
"It's okay."
"That wasn't my question."
She swallowed.
"I was supposed to have it."
The father felt his chest tighten.
"Then why was it taken away?"
The little girl's eyes filled with tears.
Before she could answer, the stepmother slammed the tongs onto the counter.
"Because she was being difficult all afternoon!"
The father didn't turn.
"Sweetheart," he repeated gently, "why was your food taken away?"
His daughter looked toward the woman standing behind him.
Fear crossed her face.
The father saw it.
He slowly moved his chair so she no longer had to look directly at her stepmother.
"You're not in trouble," he whispered.
The little girl pressed her fingers together.
"She said I didn't deserve it."
The father's expression changed.
He looked at his wife.
"She said what?"
The stepmother folded her arms.
"Don't encourage this nonsense."
He stood.
"Did you tell my daughter she didn't deserve dinner?"
"I told her she needed to learn gratitude."
"For what?"
"For everything we do around here!"
The father looked toward the table.
Two plates contained chicken.
One did not.
The adults' food sat ready on the kitchen counter.
There was enough for everyone.
He looked back at his wife.
"What did she do?"
The stepmother sighed dramatically.