«Daddy, don’t leave me with the new mom, she comes to do bad things. Hidden in the closet, the father FROZE from what he saw…

Part of him wanted to believe it was all a mistake. But the other part, which had witnessed the fear in Emily’s eyes, knew he had to protect his daughter. The fear in Emily’s eyes and the marks on her body showed that something was terribly wrong.

While Olivia packed her things, David went into Emily’s room and found her sitting on the bed, hugging her favorite stuffed bear. «Dad,» Emily whispered, almost inaudibly. «What’s going to happen now?» David sat next to her on the bed and hugged her. «Olivia is leaving for a while. I need you to tell me everything that happened so we can resolve this.»

Emily slowly nodded, clutching the bear even tighter. «Are you mad at me?» — «No, my dear,» David replied, kissing the top of her head. «I’m very proud of you for being so brave and telling me the truth, even when it was hard.» Emily relaxed a bit from his words, snuggling up to her dad. «I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me.» — «I always believe you, daughter.»

David hugged her again, promising himself he would never let anyone hurt her again.

They heard the front door open and close. Olivia had left. Emily tensed up again, and David whispered: «Don’t be afraid, dear. I won’t let her hurt you, I promise.» Emily nodded, but David noticed the fear hadn’t left her yet.

He knew they had a long road ahead. They would need to heal both physical and emotional wounds. But as he held his daughter, David promised himself they would get through it together, step by step.

«How about some french fries for dinner?» he suggested, trying to lighten the mood a bit. Emily smiled for the first time in a long while. «Maybe with bacon?» — «Of course, sweetie,» David replied, feeling his heart warm from her smile. But he couldn’t shake off thoughts of Olivia so easily. He loved her. All night he pondered everything that had happened…

Waking up in the morning over breakfast, David decided it was time to take more serious action. «Emily, dear,» he began, stirring his coffee. «I’ve been thinking a lot about everything that happened.» Emily lifted her eyes from her bowl of cereal, her big brown eyes fixed on her father. «About Olivia?» — «Yes, about Olivia,» he replied. «And about what you told me. I want you to know I fully trust you.» — «Go on, Dad.» Emily’s voice trembled, as if she already knew what he would say.

David sighed. «But I need to see it with my own eyes to better protect you and understand how to proceed.» Emily dropped her spoon on the table. «You mean you’ll let Olivia come back?» — «Just for a week,» David hurried to reassure, seeing the panic in her eyes. «I’ll pretend to go to work, but actually I’ll be hiding in your closet. I want to see how she behaves when she thinks I’m not around. I’d like to record it.» Emily looked terribly frightened. «But, Dad, she might hurt me if she thinks you’re gone.»

David hugged her. «I won’t let her hurt you. I promise I’ll be there the whole time, watching. If she tries anything, I’ll come out and stop her immediately. Do you trust me?» Emily pressed against his chest. «I trust you, Dad, but I’m scared.» — «I’m scared too,» David admitted. «But we need to do this so Olivia can never hurt you again.»

They spent the days carefully preparing. David called Olivia, pretending to feel guilty, and asked her to come back for a day to talk. Olivia agreed immediately. Her voice sounded enthusiastic and, as David now realized, with false tenderness.

The night before the big day, as David called it in his mind, father and daughter sat on the couch discussing the plan. «Remember well,» David said, his voice serious but gentle. «Tomorrow morning we’ll act normally. I’ll pretend to go to work, but actually I’ll be hiding in your closet.»..