Chapter 2 - The Bruised Angel
Ryan immediately dropped to one knee on the hard, cold tiled floor, completely ignoring the dust staining his dark jeans. His heart shattered into a million irreparable pieces as he reached his strong hand out toward his weeping child, desperate to comfort her, desperate to pull her out of the dark corner and tell her everything was going to be okay.
But as he leaned closer, the harsh fluorescent lighting of the laundry room illuminated a sight that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Emma sat wedged tightly against the concrete wall. Her delicate face, usually so bright and full of innocent joy, was marred by terrifying, unmistakable violence. There were stark, dark red bruises blooming across her cheekbone, and as she instinctively raised her arms to shield her face, Ryan saw a ring of vicious, angry red scratches and finger-shaped bruises wrapped tightly around her small, pale forearms.
She was crying quietly, her small chest heaving with silent, terrified sobs as she furiously rubbed her swollen eye, trying desperately to stop the tears from falling.
The contrast was absolutely sickening. Through the open laundry room door, the bright, sunny backyard was clearly visible. The giant pink balloons swayed happily in the wind, and the wealthy female guests continued to talk and laugh mindlessly, entirely oblivious to the fact that a child had just been brutally assaulted mere feet away from their expensive champagne flutes.
"Sweetheart..." Ryan whispered, his deep voice shaking uncontrollably as the realization of her injuries fully registered in his brain. He couldn't even process the horror. "...who did this to you?"
He expected her to say she fell. He expected her to say she scraped her arm on a tree branch. He prayed to God it was just a terrible accident.
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He had absolutely no idea that the monster who had bruised his daughter was standing just outside the door, smiling for the cameras.
👉 Read Part 3 to see the little girl's devastating reaction to her father.
