“Daddy… Mommy’s boyfriend hit me with a baseball bat. He said if I cry, it’ll hurt more…”

I could hear it.

“If I leave now,” he said, “this doesn’t end here.”

He was right.

And that was what terrified me the most.

—But if you stay… —I began.

I didn’t finish the sentence.

It wasn’t necessary.

We both knew what it entailed.

One more step.
One more line crossed.

Something that could not be undone.

Time seemed to slow down.

I could hear the invisible tick of each second, stretching, becoming heavy, almost physical.

“Dad…” Ethan repeated, weaker.

That sound decided something inside me.

It wasn’t a clear idea.
It wasn’t logical.

It was instinct.

“Take it out,” I said, this time more firmly. “Now.”

The silence that followed was different.

Not of doubt.
But of acceptance.

Marcus did not respond with words.

It just moved.

Quick steps.
A slight struggle.

Kyle let out a brief scream, more surprised than furious.

Then, the sound of a door opening forcefully.

Air.

Space.