As the birds chirped their innocent morning song, the only sound penetrating the tense silence of the house aside from the muffled noise of Winter, who was downstairs oblivious, eating fruit and watching an educational show.
Davian, Adeline, and their three oldest sons sat in his office, their eyes fixed on the same damning photo that had been projected on the screen behind him for the past 10 agonizing minutes. The image of Winter's tiny, bruised body seemed to sear itself into their minds.
"That bastard has some nerve, filing a report on her, after what he did to her," Sylas spat, his teeth gritted together so hard it was a wonder they didn't shatter. A muscle ticked in his jaw, the only visible sign of the fury threatening to consume him.
Kain was trying to control his rage, his chest heaving as he dragged in deep breaths, but he could feel the same suffocating darkness looming over him again that he had worked so hard to pack away. His hands curled into fists, the nails biting into his palms.
Davian shifted his icy gaze over to his assistant, Antonio, who was the one to uncover this horrifying truth. "What else did you find from this report?" Davian could barely force out, his voice a low, deadly rumble.
Antonio pushed up his glasses, his hands shaking slightly before saying, "As I looked into the cases, I found that Winter's father wasn't the one who put out the missing report, but one of her teachers from the daycare that she used to attend. Also, I went ahead and checked if there were any mentions of this in CPS's files, which gave me multiple cases where there had been a report of child abuse, but there were no procedures for removal for her. Even after she was hospitalized last year for a cracked skull, she was still kept in the home." His voice trailed off, heavy with the weight of his words.
"What kind of sick individual does that?" Adeline asked, her voice trembling, tears streaming down her pale face. Declan, who was seated next to his mother, hugged her to his side as she wept for her new baby, her body shaking with sobs.
The sound of Kain's fist going through a wall cracked through the room, the plaster exploding outward. "That fucker, he needed to be dealt with," Davian said, causing the boys to nod as well, their faces set in determination. "You know what I think, we should pay him a visit." His voice was a cold, calculated promise of retribution.
Turning to Antonio, "I need you to print up some papers that will transfer Winter from her father's custody to ours before we leave tonight." His assistant gave him a nod before hurrying from the room, leaving the family to their rage.
"Are we doing this?" Kain asked, feeling himself get excited at the thought of making someone feel pain for hurting his little Winter. The image of her tiny body, marred by bruises, fueled his desire for vengeance.
