“She’s a teenager,” Daniel said, his voice growing cold.

“She made a mistake.”

“If you let them prosecute her, I will never forgive you.”

“That is your choice,” I said.

“We are a family, Rachel,” he said, stepping into my personal space.

“We protect each other.”

“You didn’t protect me when she made the accusation,” I pointed out.

“You believed her immediately.”

“You used it as an excuse to demand I sign over my share of this house.”

Daniel looked down at his shoes, then back at the tablet.

“I was angry,” he said.

“I was trying to protect my daughter.”

“And now I am protecting myself,” I said.

The hallway was silent except for Ava’s quiet sniffles.

The cold Colorado wind rattled the glass pane in the front door.

The air inside the house felt heavy, smelling of old pine and dust.

“There has to be a compromise,” Daniel said, his jaw tightening.

“There is no compromise on federal security reviews,” I said.

“The investigators will be here in two hours.”

“They will see the footage.”