“They kept it all, Dad…” she whispered. “The car, the money, everything. My husband said it was ‘for security,’ that he would manage it better. His mother said I was useless, that I wouldn’t survive without them. And I… I believed them.”
I gripped the steering wheel so tightly that my fingers hurt.
—And why are you here? Why didn’t you go back home?
Emily took a deep breath, like someone preparing to tell a burning truth.
“Because they threatened me. They said that if I went back to you, if I reported them, they would take Isabella away from me. They said I had no proof, that no one would believe me. And I… I was scared, Dad. Very scared.”
Isabella began to cry louder, with that high-pitched cry that only babies have when the heat and tiredness can no longer be endured.
Emily rocked her desperately, but her arms were also trembling with exhaustion.
Without saying a word, I turned on the air conditioning. The car’s interior filled with cool air that seemed like an immediate relief for both of us.
I took a bottle of water from the glove compartment and gave it to Emily.
—Drink. And give a little to the girl.
Emily obeyed silently. Her hands no longer held coins, but life.