Chapter 2: The Man Who Spoke for Her
Robert had spent enough years in uniform to know that panic could make a person reckless.
So he did not shout.
He did not threaten Eric.
He did not reach for the man standing in the doorway, even when every instinct told him to remove him from the room.
Instead, Robert folded his hands behind his back and took one measured breath.
“Claire,” he said, “are you hurt anywhere else?””
Eric answered before she could.
“She bruises easily. The doctor said pregnancy can make her more sensitive.””
Robert turned his head.
“I asked Claire.””
Eric gave an incredulous laugh.
“Are you serious? I'm standing right here, trying to help.””
“Then help by letting her speak.””
For a moment, Eric looked as though he might argue.
Instead, he walked to the bedside table and picked up the glass of water.
“Claire, drink this. You're getting yourself worked up.””
She shook her head.
“Come on, baby.”” He extended the glass.
“Just drink.””
Claire pressed herself against the pillows.
Robert watched Eric's fingers tighten around the glass.
“Put it down,” Robert said.
Eric set it on the table with a sharp clink.
“You've been waiting years to think the worst of me, haven't you?”” Eric asked.
“Ever since Claire and I got married, you've acted like I'm some kind of threat.””
Robert didn't answer.
Eric continued, his voice growing louder.
“You never liked that she chose me. You wanted her to stay your little girl forever. Now she's having a baby, and suddenly you're here looking for someone to blame.””
It was a clever speech.
Robert recognized the technique. Turn the accusation into an insult. Make the questioner defend himself. Keep talking until nobody remembers what the conversation was about.
But Claire was staring at the glass of water as if she had forgotten it existed.
“Claire,” Robert said gently, “do you want some water?””
She shook her head again.
“Okay.””
He moved the glass farther away from the edge of the table so it wouldn't fall.
Eric watched him with narrowed eyes.
“See?”” he said.
“She does this all the time. Refuses help, then complains that nobody helps her.””
Claire's fingers began trembling harder.
Robert turned back toward her.
“You don't have to explain everything right now. Just answer one question for me.””
She swallowed.
“All right.””
“Where is your phone?””
Her eyes darted toward Eric's coat.
It was barely a glance.
But Robert saw it.
So did Eric.
His hand immediately covered the pocket.
“Unbelievable,” Eric muttered.
Robert's voice remained calm.
“Take your hand away from your pocket.””
“Excuse me?””
“You heard me.””
Eric pulled his hand away slowly, then spread both palms.
“Happy? There's nothing in there.””
Claire began to cry.
Not the quiet, embarrassed crying Robert had seen at family funerals. This was different. Her shoulders shook, and she pressed the heel of one hand against her mouth as if she were trying to keep a sound inside.
Robert felt something break in his chest.
“Claire, sweetheart, look at me.””
She shook her head.
“Please,” she whispered.
“Please don't make him angry.””
Eric threw his hands up.
“See what I'm dealing with? Everything becomes a crisis. I can't even walk into my own bedroom without her acting like I'm going to hurt somebody.””
Robert turned toward him.
“Then explain why she's afraid of you.””
“She isn't afraid of me.””
Claire's eyes squeezed shut.
Eric pointed at her.
“She gets these ideas in her head. She cries, she apologizes, then she changes her story. Ask her what happened last Tuesday. Ask her about the stairs.””
Robert felt his stomach tighten.
“What happened on the stairs?””
Eric hesitated.
“Nothing.””
“You just brought it up.””
“I was making a point.””
Robert stepped closer, stopping well short of him.
“What happened on the stairs?””
Eric's expression hardened.
“She slipped. I caught her arm before she fell. That's probably where those marks came from.””
Claire made a tiny, involuntary sound.
Robert looked at her.
“Is that what happened, sweetheart?””
Her lips parted.
Eric immediately interrupted.
“Claire, think carefully. You know how worried we were about the baby.””
She stared at him.
Then she looked down at her stomach.
Robert could almost see the struggle inside her. She wanted to speak. He could see it in the way her lips moved without producing words.
But every time she drew breath, Eric found another way to fill the silence.
“You were tired,” he reminded her.
“You were dizzy.””
He moved toward the bedside table again.
“You told me you didn't even remember falling.””
“Stop,” Claire whispered.
Eric froze.
The word had been so quiet that Robert almost missed it.
“What did you say?”” Eric asked.
Claire's shoulders drew inward.
Robert moved between them.
“She said stop.””
Eric stared at him.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then Eric gave a thin laugh.
“Fine. Fine. You want to make me the villain?
Go ahead. But don't come crying to me when you realize what you're doing to this family.””
He turned toward the hallway, then stopped.
“And for the record, Colonel, I have been the only person taking care of your daughter. You have no idea what it takes to live with someone who can't manage her own emotions.””
Robert's hands curled behind his back.
“Leave the room.””
Eric's eyebrows rose.
“What?””
“Leave the room. Give Claire some space.””
“This is my house.””
“You've mentioned that.””
Eric looked at Claire.
“Baby, tell him he's being ridiculous.””
Claire said nothing.
His smile disappeared.
“Claire.””
She squeezed her eyes shut.
“Tell him.””
Robert moved half a step closer to the bed, blocking Eric's view of her.
“She doesn't owe you an answer.””
Eric's face flushed.
For the first time, his carefully maintained composure slipped. He struck the doorframe with the flat of his palm, making the nearby lamp tremble.
“I'm done with this!””
Claire jerked so violently that she clutched her stomach.
Robert immediately turned toward her.
“Easy, sweetheart. Breathe slowly. I'm right here.””
Eric stared at them both, his chest rising and falling.
Then he lowered his voice.
“You're going to regret interfering.””
Robert met his eyes.
“Maybe. But I won't regret being here.””
Eric backed into the hallway, muttering something under his breath.
He did not leave the house.
Robert could hear him pacing just beyond the doorway.
When the footsteps finally stopped, Robert sat beside Claire again.
For a few seconds, he said nothing.
He let her cry.
He let the room become quiet enough for her to hear that nobody was shouting anymore.
Then he reached for a clean tissue on the bedside table and offered it to her.
She took it with shaking fingers.
“Daddy,” she whispered, “I didn't fall on the stairs.””
Robert felt his pulse slow into something colder.
“What happened?””
Claire wiped her cheeks.
“He wanted me to give him my bank password. I said I needed to call you first.””
Robert remained still.
“He grabbed my arm,” she continued.
“I tried to pull away, and he pushed me against the railing. Then he told me I had slipped.””
Her voice broke.
“He made me practice saying it before the doctor's appointment.””
Robert stared at her.
“Did the doctor examine your arm?””
Claire nodded.
“He asked how I got the bruises.””
“And what did you tell him?””
“That I fell.””
She began crying harder.
“I didn't know what else to say. Eric was standing right there. He kept smiling at me.””
Robert looked toward the doorway.
Eric was no longer pacing.
The silence beyond the room felt deliberate.
Robert reached for his own phone.
“We're going to get you somewhere safe. I'm going to call for medical help, and we'll make sure the baby is all right.””
Claire grabbed his sleeve.
“No!””
He stopped.
Her eyes were wide with terror.
“Please don't call anyone while he's here.””
“Claire—”
“He'll know. He always knows.””
Robert gently covered her hand with his.
“Sweetheart, listen to me. You don't have to protect him from the consequences of his actions.””
She shook her head frantically.
“You don't understand. He said if I ever told you, he'd show you what I was really like.””
“What does that mean?””
Claire's face went pale.
She looked toward the doorway again.
Then, with the smallest movement, she pointed at the coat Eric had left hanging over a chair just outside the bedroom.
“Daddy,” she whispered, “there's something else you need to know.””
May you like
Before Robert could ask what it was, Eric returned to the doorway.
And this time, he wasn't alone.
