“Garth!” my father-in-law shouted, shaking with fury. “How could you do this to my granddaughter?! After everything our family’s done for you, this is how you repay us?!”
He shoved the table over in rage.
My mother-in-law, crying now, yelled through tears, “No wonder Zelene said those things earlier! So you have been abusing her all along!”
I shouted back that I didn’t do it—that I had no idea what they were talking about!
But Naomi's eyes were red with fury. She kicked me to the ground and shoved the phone in my face.
“Still trying to lie your way out of this? The evidence is right here!”
Her voice was shaking. She looked like she wanted to tear me apart.
I stared at the screen.
There were dozens of photos and videos that hadn’t been there before.
Each one showed my daughter dressed in different cutesy outfits, making sad, timid poses. Her eyes were wide and filled with fear.
In one video, she pleaded tearfully at the camera, “Uncles, please send Zelene some gifts, or Daddy will hit me again.”
Her voice trembled, and her eyes brimmed with tears.
The comments on the screen made my skin crawl.
[Don’t be scared, Zelene. I'll send you gifts right now.]