Chapter 9 - The Recording Continues
Madeline held Liam against her chest on the marble floor.
He was light.
Too light.
His face pressed into her coat, and his hands gripped the fabric like he expected someone to pull him away.
Madeline looked at Jeffrey over his head.
Her voice was low.
“Who decided he eats on the floor?”
No one answered.
She turned to Noelle.
“You said he was used to it.”
Noelle’s lips trembled.
“I meant—”
“Say what you meant.”
Noelle looked at the phone.
Cynthia stepped back from the table.
Jeffrey moved toward Madeline.
“Turn that off.”
Liam stiffened.
Madeline’s arm tightened protectively.
“No.”
Jeffrey stopped again.
Every command he issued now made him look worse.
He knew it.
That was the prison the recording created.
Cynthia whispered, “This is insane.”
Madeline looked at her.
“You are in my dining room, beside my husband, speaking about my child like he is the intruder.”
Cynthia’s face reddened.
“Austin deserves stability.”
Madeline’s eyes narrowed.
“Stability built on my son’s fear?”
Cynthia looked away.
Noelle finally placed the spoon down.
The small metallic sound rang through the dining area.
Austin began to fuss.
Noelle turned instantly to comfort him.
Madeline looked down at Liam.
He had not been comforted instantly.
Not until she arrived.
Jeffrey’s phone vibrated on the table.
No one touched it.
Cynthia’s phone screen lit up and went dark.
No readable text.
Madeline noticed both phones.
There were more records in this room than hers.
Maybe messages.
Maybe photos.
Maybe nothing.
She did not need them yet.
She had voices.
She had Liam’s condition.
She had the cake plate.
The table.
The floor.
The adults’ words.
And she had the beginning of a case they did not yet realize she was building.
Jeffrey said her name softly.
“Madeline.”
She looked at him.
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The softness came too late.
Read Chapter 10 👉 Because Jeffrey finally tried softness, but Madeline had already crossed from shock into proof.
