Chapter 2 - The Smiling Monster
My blood ran completely cold at the sound of Meredith's announcement.
The man who had been tormenting my daughter was standing in my living room.
I looked at Chloe, whose face had instantly drained of all its color.
"Lock your bedroom door, sweetie," I instructed her quietly.
"Do not open this door for anyone except me, do you understand?"
She nodded rapidly, backing away toward her bed with her hands trembling.
I stepped out into the hallway, pulling the door shut until I heard the lock click into place.
I walked down the stairs, forcing my hands deep into my pockets to hide my clenched fists.
Richard was standing in the kitchen, dressed in a sharp designer suit and holding a bouquet of flowers.
He smiled warmly when he saw me, playing the role of the devoted family patriarch perfectly.
"There is the proud father," Richard boomed, stepping forward to pat me aggressively on the shoulder.
It took every ounce of self-control I possessed not to break his jaw right then and there.
"Hey, Richard," I managed to say, my voice tight and strained.
Meredith was busy rummaging through her purse, completely oblivious to the suffocating tension in the room.
"I need to grab my camera from the garage, I will be right back!" Meredith chirped happily.
As soon as the garage door clicked shut behind her, Richard's warm smile instantly vanished.
His eyes turned cold and dead, staring at me with a predatory intensity.
"You look a little pale, Harrison," Richard said, taking a slow step closer to me.
"Is little Chloe having some trouble getting into her pretty dress today?"
The subtle mockery in his tone confirmed everything Chloe had told me.
"Chloe is not going to the recital today, Richard, she is feeling very sick," I said firmly.
Richard chuckled, a dark, vibrating sound that made my skin crawl.
"She is going to that recital, Harrison, and you are going to smile and clap for her."
I stepped into his personal space, no longer bothering to hide my seething hatred.
"You are never going near my daughter again," I promised him in a lethal whisper.
May you like
Richard simply smirked and leaned in until his mouth was right next to my ear.
"If you try to stop me, the police are going to find the deeply illegal images I planted on your work laptop this morning."
