Chapter 6 - The Woman Who Wouldn't Be Bought
"How much?" I asked.
"Five thousand dollars. Cash."
Rosa sounded frightened, not greedy. She worked weekends to help pay her mother's medical bills. Five thousand dollars could change a month of her life.
"I'm not asking you to ruin yourself for me," I said.
"My little girl was waiting in the van when I packed up. I kept thinking about yours screaming in that dining room. I couldn't take their money."
She sent the original file to Margot, who arranged to preserve its details and her statement.
The video began with Linda standing up. It showed her catching my wrist, me asking her to let go, and the slap. The bowl tipped as I fell sideways. Across the table, Daniel never even reached for me.
I had known what happened. Seeing it from another angle still made me sick.
Then the video kept running.
"She provoked me," Linda announced.
"Mom," Melissa said, "there's a child crying."
"The child can learn that women who marry above themselves need manners."
Even Melissa looked startled.
Daniel approached the camera, blocking the lens with his hand. "Stop filming. Now."
I replayed that moment.
He hadn't rushed to me. He had rushed to the evidence.
Margot advised Rosa not to discuss the footage publicly while it was being reviewed. We passed it to the officer handling the report and prepared it for the family court.
By lunch, Linda's lawyer had sent me a letter calling my allegations exaggerated and demanding that Emma attend their New Year's gathering.
I forwarded it without answering.
Dad walked into the kitchen with a plate of toast. "You ate anything?"
"Not hungry."
"Try one bite. You don't have to solve your whole life today."
May you like
I managed half a piece. Then my phone lit up with a notice from the court filing system.
Daniel had filed an emergency petition claiming I was unstable and had removed Emma from the marital home without permission.
