Chapter 2 - The Midnight Safehouse
Alexander didn't sleep that night. He packed Emma and Oliver into his car, ignoring Caroline's frantic apologies and tears as she stood in the driveway, begging him not to ruin their family's reputation. He drove them straight to a quiet boutique hotel on the outskirts of the city, away from the suffocating atmosphere of their suburban mansion.
Inside the hotel room, the children clung to him. Oliver finally stopped crying, exhausted into a deep sleep, his small thumb tucked into his mouth. Emma sat on the edge of the large bed, her legs dangling, her eyes fixed on her knees.
Alexander brought her a warm cup of water, sitting down gently beside her. "Emma... look at me, sweetie."
She slowly raised her head. The innocence that should have belonged to an eight-year-old was gone, replaced by a heavy, protective maturity.
"How long?" Alexander asked, his voice cracking. "How long has she been doing this?"
Emma swallowed hard, her small fingers twisting the fabric of her blanket. "Since you started the new project in the spring. Whenever you travel, she changes, Dad. She gets really quiet first. Then she starts yelling about how we ruined her life, how she used to be someone before she had to take care of us. Yesterday, she locked Oliver in the dark pantry because he dropped his toy."
Alexander buried his face in his hands, hot tears slipping through his fingers. He remembered the small bruises he had seen on Oliver's legs weeks ago, which Caroline had laughed off as 'just boys being rough at the playground.' He remembered how Emma had suddenly stopped asking him to play, becoming quiet and withdrawn. He had convinced himself it was just a phase.
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"I'm so sorry, Emma," Alexander sobbed, pulling his daughter into his chest. "I am so, so sorry. I should have seen it. I should have listened to you."
"I tried to tell you on the phone last week," Emma whispered into his shoulder. "But she was standing right behind the door, holding the iPad. She whispered that if I told you, you would leave us and never come back because we were too much trouble."
