“They threw me out,” I told him, barely able to keep my voice steady.
He looked past me at my parents and sister standing in the doorway, and his expression turned cold in a way I had never seen before.
He did not raise his voice or argue with them, and that silence was more powerful than anger.
He reached into the car, pulled out a blue folder and his phone, and said, “Nobody move because you just destroyed your own lives.”
He helped me into the car with careful movements, secured Ava safely, and then took several photos before leaving.
He photographed my hair where it had been pulled, the suitcase on the sidewalk, and my family standing at the entrance.
My mother started yelling that he had no right to take pictures, but he ignored her completely.
He drove straight to the hospital where I had been discharged the previous day.
The nurse immediately noticed the strain in my incision and called the doctor to examine me again.
The medical report documented increased pain from physical stress, superficial injury from hair pulling, and signs consistent with coercion.
While I was being treated and Ava was being calmed, Eric contacted the police and requested immediate assistance.