My friend stepped forward, holding up her phone.
“I have proof. Claire has had five boyfriends since she turned twenty, all of whom her dad convinced her to break up with. He even had them join him in abusing Claire! I have all the photos she sent me of her injuries. Those scoundrels need to be punished!”
As soon as she finished speaking, my dad chuckled, a grim, terrifying smile on his face.
He signaled the police to let go of him and turned to my friend.
“I’ll go with you, but I need to get some important evidence from the study first. If you’re worried I’ll escape, you can all come in with me.”
I instantly gasped in fear.
I rushed to block the door to the study, sweating and my eyes red with panic.
“No! None of you can go in!”
If I wasn’t mistaken, once they entered the study with my had gone in before.
**
,they’d be just like everyone else who
Seeing how terrified I was, my friend comforted me, holding my shoulders.
“Are you okay? Don’t worry, I’m here with the police. Your dad won’t hurt you anymore.”
She looked at me with concern, but I still held onto the door handle, refusing to let them in.
My eyes were filled with fear and helplessness, and even the police seemed puzzled.
Two female officers came over, smiling, and gently pulled me aside.
“It’s okay, Claire. He just needs to grab something. He can’t hurt you.”
I shook my head desperately, tears falling to the floor.
“No, please. You can’t go in!”
My strong reaction only made them more suspicious of what might be hidden in the study.
One of the female officers ordered me to stay where I was
the study. I couldn’t stop them.
Even my friend couldn’t help but make a remark.
while the others followed my dad into
14.12%
“Well, you’re really pushing your luck now. You want to kill your own daughter? Whatever
the law will make you pay!”
My friend was the last one to enter the study.
She even turned around, winked at me, and smiled, assuring me that everything would be okay
because she was there.
I stood still, my heart filled with mixed emotions.
I thought maybe my friend and the officers were strong–willed and wouldn’t be affected by my dad’s manipulation. Even if they went into the study, she’d still be my best friend.
But I was wrong.
Through the crack in the door, I watched her expression shift–first confusion, then fear, then rage. She gritted her teeth, hurling a cup against the wall.
My father smirked, as if he’d known this would happen all along.
When they emerged, my best friend smashed her phone on the ground and smiled sweetly at the
cops.
“Sorry, my mistake. Claire’s dad was just being strict. He never actually hurt her.”
The officers scowled at me.
“Don’t ever waste our time with false reports again. Consider this your only warning.”
I felt like a deflated balloon, slumped on the ground.
Their change in attitude showed that I had no more chances of seeking help.
My best friend’s face twisted into something ugly. She dug her nails into my scalp.
“Got it? You pathetic liar! Because of you, I almost got in trouble with the police! You’d better think about what you’ve done!”
They all glared at me with anger, then the police let my dad go and left.
Once the door was closed, my friend had already replaced her worried expression with a sharp, mocking glare, staring at me.
Chanter 3
