She sank into the chair, the composure she’d been holding onto for days finally collapsing. She cried—not quietly, not politely—but with the kind of sobs that come when your body realizes it’s no longer alone in its truth. “I thought I was losing my mind,” she said between breaths. “Everyone kept telling me to let it go. That it would ruin everything if I didn’t.”
Samuel handed her a glass of water. The officer waited until Clare could breathe again. “We’re investigating this,” the officer said. “Fully.” The house search happened that same afternoon. Clare stood on the sidewalk while officers moved through the home she had once thought was safest. The K-9 unit arrived last. The dog didn’t hesitate.