“She made a formal allegation of physical abuse to local police, Daniel,” I said. “Which triggered a federal security review of my household.”

“We can withdraw it,” he said quickly, his hands gesturing wildly. “We’ll tell them she made it up. We’ll fix it.”

Ava gasped from the top of the stairs, her face turning pale. “Dad?”

Daniel ignored her, his focus entirely on me, his eyes pleading as he realized the depth of the void he was standing over.

“I can’t lose the firm, Rachel,” he whispered. “Please.”

I looked down at the tablet Harris had handed me, scrolling through the security footage from the hallway cameras that Daniel never knew existed.

The screen showed the exact moment Ava had knocked over the vase and begun screaming, while I stood ten feet away with my hands behind my back.

Daniel saw the screen in my hand, and his eyes locked onto the glowing video playback.

Daniel stared at the screen.

The blue light of the tablet reflected off his forehead and the sweat pooling at his temples.

On the screen, Ava knocked the porcelain vase from the pedestal.