An hour had passed when Daniel Lewis stepped into the police station, his towering figure clad in his usual sharp, dark suit. He was every inch the man who rarely had to leave his glass-walled office, let alone walk into a place like this.
And yet here he was, his face thunderous, his jaw clenched. The moment he entered, his eyes found Betty, curled quietly on Esther's chest, her small frame trembling as Esther gently rubbed her back.
The rage inside him swelled. He was beyond furious, furious that Esther had allowed things to spiral out of control, that his daughter had been dragged into a public scandal. But the second he saw the way Betty clung to Esther, something in him cooled. Whatever had happened… it wasn't nothing.
"Mr. Lewis, thank you for coming, sir." The station head, a bulky man in a blue uniform, rushed to greet him, pulling a chair in offering.
Daniel ignored the gesture. "Let's get this over with. Why are my daughter and her governess being held?" His voice was sharp, firm, leaving no room for casual banter.
The officer hesitated before replying. "Well… sir, your governess, Miss Cole, was involved in a physical altercation. The other party suffered bruising."
Daniel's eyes turned to Esther, who met his gaze squarely, her face unapologetic.
He sighed, clearly exhausted. "And what led to this… fight?"
The officer shifted uncomfortably. "It's… complicated, sir. The other party is also a person of status, and I.."
"Oh, I see you're here," came a cold, sharp voice from behind.
Jariatu Jalloh strode in with deliberate grace, her navy-blue embroidered abaya flowing behind her like smoke. Her high, structured moussor made her look even taller, her presence commanding. Rich, educated, and sharp-tongued, she looked straight past Daniel to Esther.
"Inspector," she snapped, "I don't care who shows up. That woman," she pointed sharply at Esther, "should be behind bars. I'll be pressing charges."
The officer paled. "Mrs. Jalloh, we're still reviewing the matter. Please, let's remain calm."
Daniel's eyes narrowed. "Jariatu," he said, the name sour on his tongue. "This is between children. You physically assaulted my daughter."
"She's not just any child. She's a curse," Jariatu spat. "I warned you. She brings nothing but death and misfortune. I'll have my lawyers ready by morning."
Daniel stepped forward. "Esther, what happened?"
"She pushed Betty," Esther said, her voice calm but burning with fury. "And she called her a murderer. Said she should never recover her voice."
Daniel turned slowly to face Jariatu again. For a moment, his fists balled. He took a breath, visibly restraining himself.
The inspector stepped in, alarmed. "Please, Mr. Lewis.."
"There's nothing to discuss. What Esther did was self-defense. Jariatu touched my daughter first. Let's not forget that."
"You think I'll let this go?" Jariatu hissed. "I'll take her to court."
"By all means," Daniel snapped. "I'll walk you there myself."
That shut her up, briefly.
"Thomas, get Betty to the car," Daniel said, turning slightly. His personal assistant stepped in quietly, lifting Betty from Esther's arms with careful tenderness.
Then, just as Daniel was about to leave, Jariatu's voice froze him in place.
"You have no idea what I've been through," she said, voice trembling now. "That accident didn't just take my younger sister, it took my son too. And all because of your daughter. She should have been the one to die."
Silence fell across the station like a shroud.
Daniel turned, his face pale, fury barely held in. "I've been patient with you for five years. I've bit my tongue, ignored your poison. But that's enough. You lost your son, and I lost my wife. Betty lost her voice, her joy, her entire world. Don't you dare stand here and say we haven't grieved."
Jariatu shook her head, tears now streaming down her cheeks. "That accident happened because of her. Because she wouldn't sit still or shut her mouth. She caused the crash, Daniel. That's the truth, and you know it."
Daniel's voice was low and dangerous. "No child should bear the weight of that day. Especially not mine. And if you ever say such a thing to her again, I'll make sure you never come near her, legally and permanently."
Jariatu swallowed back her sobs. "I hate you. I hate your family. Marian should never have married you. And she should have never given birth to that devil."
Daniel didn't reply. He didn't need to. His silence hit harder than any rebuttal.
With one final glance at the broken woman standing in fury and grief, he turned on his heel and walked out of the station and Esther by his side.
Back at the Lewis Mansion, Esther tucked Betty into bed before heading to the terrace, where Daniel was already waiting. She knew what was coming, scoldings, lectures, perhaps even a formal warning. But if she were being honest with herself, she wasn't remorseful. Not one bit. If anything, she wished she'd slapped that woman harder.
The evening air was cool, and the stars blinked above like scattered diamonds. The moonlight draped over the terrace in a soft silver glow.
"Miss Cole, have a seat," Daniel said as she stepped onto the terrace.
She braced herself.
But what came next caught her completely off guard.
"What happened today… first off, thank you."
Esther blinked. Wait, what? Her eyes widened as she stared at him, disbelief written all over her face.
"You're not mad at me?" she asked, half-laughing in confusion.
"For what?" Daniel's tone was calm but firm. "You stood up for my daughter. You protected her. If anything, I should be the one thanking you. I've seen the change in Betty, and that's because of you. You care for her, and I appreciate that."
Esther looked away for a second, her heart catching in her chest. "I… I just couldn't stand hearing her say those things. No one talks to my little girl like that." The words slipped out naturally. It startled her how natural they felt.
Daniel noticed the slip, but didn't comment. He only smiled, faintly. "Well, you did just enough, Miss Cole. Now come here, let's get that scratch treated."
She blinked again. "It's just a little bruise."
"If left untreated, it might get infected," he replied simply, already reaching for the first-aid box by his side, something he had ordered Mather to bring when they returned.
He gently took her arm and rested it on his knee. Esther watched him, confused at the softness in his actions. It wasn't the cold, distant Daniel Lewis she had first met.
"If you don't mind me asking… who was that woman today?" she finally said, her voice quieter. "Why does she hate Betty so much?"
Daniel didn't answer immediately. He focused on cleaning the scratch with a cotton ball soaked in spirit. The sting was nothing compared to the ache in his heart.
After a moment, he finally spoke. "She's my late wife's elder sister. Her name is Jariatu."
Esther sat still, surprised. "Wait… that woman is Betty's aunt?"
Daniel nodded. "We were all very close once. Until the accident."
He paused, pressing gauze softly over the wound before continuing.
"They were headed on a family vacation. Marian, my wife, nsisted they take the trip. I had work, so I stayed behind. On the way… the car she was driving got into an accident. A container truck lost control on a slope and crashed into them."
Esther's throat tightened.
"I got the call that afternoon," Daniel went on, voice hoarse with memory. "By the time I reached the hospital, Marian was gone. Betty was in a coma. And Jariatu… lost her only son."
The silence between them thickened with pain.
"That's why she called Betty a murderer?" Esther asked, her voice trembling.
Daniel nodded slowly. "It's said Betty was calling out to her mother in the car… Marian got distracted for a second, and in that moment…" He didn't finish. He didn't have to.
Esther's eyes burned. "She's just a child…"
"She hasn't spoken a word since that day," Daniel said quietly. "Not one."
And for a long time, neither of them spoke. They just sat there, under the stars, between the scars.
The house was quiet in a hour times.
Betty was asleep. Esther had returned to her room.
But Daniel couldn't sleep. Not yet. Not with memories clawing at him from every corner of the night.
He stood in his study, a glass of untouched whiskey in his hand, staring at an old photograph on the shelf, Marian, smiling beside him, her head tilted, her eyes bright and full of life. Betty, just four, stood between them in a white summer dress, her hands clutching two melting ice creams.
He picked up the frame.
And the world slipped backward, to five years ago.
He remembered the exact moment the call came in.
He had been in a boardroom, presenting to a panel of foreign investors. His phone had vibrated once, twice… he ignored it. But then his assistant, Thomas, barged into the room, his face pale, his hands trembling.
"Sir… it's Marian. There's been an accident."
The words didn't make sense. Not at first.
But then the room began to blur, and Daniel found himself racing down the highway with sirens in his ears, even though there were none. Just the screeching of his heartbeat.
He reached the hospital in under twenty minutes.
And the sight that met him broke something deep in him forever.
Marian was being wheeled down the corridor, her body covered in a white sheet.
Daniel collapsed against the wall.
"No. No. No, please," he had whispered, as if begging time to rewind. "She's okay. She has to be okay."
The nurse wouldn't meet his eyes.
The doctor placed a hand on his shoulder. "We did everything we could, Mr. Lewis…"
The words splintered him.
And then, Betty.
He ran to the pediatric ward, where his little girl lay unconscious, her face bandaged, her arms bruised, her chest rising and falling slowly under the machines. Machines that kept her alive.
He broke down completely.
He knelt beside her bed and wept, not as a CEO, not as a husband, but as a man who had just lost the light of his life.
For three days, he didn't leave the hospital. He slept in a chair, barely ate, barely spoke. He stared at the machines, willing Betty to wake up. Wishing Marian would walk through the doors and tell him it was all a horrible dream.
And when Betty finally woke up, she didn't speak.
Not a word.
She looked at him, and tears slid silently down her cheeks, but not a sound came out.
He tried everything, therapy, toys, stories, songs she once loved, but her voice was gone. Not physically. The doctors said her vocal cords were fine. But something inside her had shattered.
Just like something inside him had.
And Jariatu…
She arrived at the hospital three days later. Daniel had tried to explain, tried to express his regret. But she wouldn't even look at him.
"You were supposed to protect them," she whispered, cold and sharp. "You took my sister… and my son."
She walked away. And with her, she took all peace from Daniel's world.
Slipping back to the moment, Daniel exhaled, wiping the corner of his eyes before the tears could fall. He placed the photo back on the shelf.
There was a knock at the door.
He turned. It was Mather.
"Sir, everything's locked in for tomorrow. And Miss Cole asked if she could take Betty to the garden in the morning. Just wanted you to know."
Daniel nodded slowly. "Thank you, Mather."
As the door close
"I'm doing my best, Marian," he whispered to the quiet. "I don't know if it's enough… but I'm trying."