Chapter 4 - The Sound of the Truth
“I’m here, baby. I’m right here,” I cried, rushing to her side and gently taking her hand. I squeezed it softly, careful not to disturb the IV lines. “You’re safe. You’re at St. Jude’s. No one can hurt you here.”
Chloe’s chest heaved, a look of panic crossing her face as she felt the tubes and wires binding her to the bed. “Dad... where is Dad? Is he mad at me? I lost my phone... he’s going to find out...”
“Shh, sweetie, look at me,” I said, gently brushing a strand of hair away from her forehead. “Your dad is gone. The police arrested him. He is in jail, Chloe. He can never, ever hurt you again.”
She stared at me, her eyes darting around the room as if expecting Gabriel to burst through the door at any second. “But he said... he said if I told you, he would make sure the state took me away. He said you weren't my real mom, and the judges wouldn't care what you said.”
The sheer cruelty of Gabriel’s manipulation broke my heart, but I forced my expression to remain strong, steady, and unshakeable.
“He lied to you, Chloe. He lied because he was terrified of what would happen if the truth came out,” I told her, holding her gaze. “You are my daughter. Legally, spiritually, completely. There is no judge in the world who can take you away from me. I have your phone, Chloe. I heard the recordings.”
A tear rolled down her pale cheek. “You heard them?”
“I did. And you were so brave to record them,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “Those recordings are going to make sure he stays behind bars where he belongs. You saved yourself, Chloe. And you saved me from ever losing you.”
She let out a ragged, trembling sigh, the tension in her small frame finally beginning to melt away. For the first time in two years, the haunting look of fear in her eyes began to lift, replaced by a profound, exhausted relief.
A few hours later, Detective Elena Vance arrived at the PICU. She looked exhausted, her blazer wrinkled, but she carried a fierce, victorious energy. She stepped into the room and smiled gently at Chloe.
“Hi, Chloe. I’m Detective Vance. I’m a friend of your mom’s,” Elena said, pulling up a chair on the opposite side of the bed. “I want to tell you something very important. Your father had his preliminary hearing an hour ago.”
I braced myself, waiting for the bad news. Arthur Pendelton was a powerful man; I expected Gabriel to have been released on bail.
“What happened?” I asked.
Elena smiled, a sharp, triumphant grin. “His lawyer tried everything. He argued that the ER footage violated privacy laws, he tried to claim Chloe was naturally clumsy, and he even tried to accuse you, Vivienne, of orchestrating the whole thing to get an advantage in the divorce settlement.”
I felt a cold chill run down my spine, but Elena’s smile only grew wider.
“But the judge didn't buy a single word of it,” Elena continued, looking at Chloe. “We played the recording from your phone, Chloe. The one from last night. The judge listened to him threaten your mom, and then he watched the ER security footage where your father literally told Dr. Sterling that she should ‘stay out of it’ because she wasn't your ‘real’ mother.”
“And?” I pressed, my breath catching in my throat.
“The judge denied bail completely,” Elena announced. “Gabriel Vance is being remanded to the county jail until his trial. Furthermore, the judge issued an immediate, emergency permanent protection order. He is legally barred from ever coming within five hundred yards of either of you, and his parental rights have been suspended pending the outcome of the criminal trial.”
Chloe looked from Elena to me, her lips trembling. “He’s... he’s really not coming back?”
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“Never,” I said, leaning down to press a firm kiss to her forehead. “It’s over, Chloe. We won.”
But as Elena stood up to leave, she gave me a subtle nod, signaling me to follow her into the hallway. My stomach tightened. The battle in the courtroom might have been won, but I knew Gabriel Vance wouldn't go down without trying to burn everything else around him to the ground.
