(...continuation of the flashback)
"Please," she begged, her voice cracking apart. "Please, you can't take him. My husband would never do something like this. He is innocent. He is a good man."
The officer tried to pull away. She held tighter.
"I'll give you anything," she sobbed. "Anything you want. Just let him go. Please."
Daniel had never seen his mother kneel before anyone.
Never seen her cry like that.
His aunt rushed in from the kitchen, her face pale but determined. She positioned herself between the officers and Daniel's father, raising her hands.
"Listen to us," she demanded. "There is no evidence. You cannot arrest a man based on an accusation alone."
"We have a witness," one of the officers said flatly.
"A witness who has every reason to lie," his aunt snapped. "At least investigate before you destroy a family."
But they weren't listening. They had never planned to.
As his father was dragged toward the door, Daniel finally moved.
