Chapter 6 - The Record of the Unseen
A strange, quiet calm settled over Emily’s features. She didn't scream. She didn't raise her hand to strike Diane again.
Instead, Emily reached into the pocket of her fitted beige trench coat with her right hand—the same hand that held the silver dog chain—and pulled out her smartphone.
The screen was dark, but a tiny, pulsing red indicator light was visible near the top speaker grill.
Emily held the screen up to Diane’s face.
"Do you know what this app is, Diane?" Emily asked, her voice steady, cold, and smooth as ice.
Diane’s brow furrowed slightly as she looked down at the device. "What silly game are you playing now?"
"It’s a cloud-based continuous audio and video link," Emily explained quietly, her eyes burning into Diane’s. "When I stepped out of my car ten minutes ago, I felt a knot in my stomach. I don't know why... maybe a mother’s intuition. So I activated the live stream to our family’s secure backup server before I walked through your front door."
Diane’s pale skin visibly lost a shade of color. Her lips parted slightly as her gaze flicked from the phone screen to Emily’s face.
"Every single word that came out of your mouth," Emily continued, stepping closer to Diane until their coats almost touched, "every single yank of that chain, your confession about what happens when I’m not home, and your threat to use your money to steal my son after abusing him... it was all recorded in high-definition digital audio and video, stored on three independent servers outside your reach."
Diane’s chest heaved once under her cashmere cardigan. Her hands twitched against her trousers as she tried to maintain her regal composure, but a faint, distinct tremor began to shake her chin.
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"You... you wouldn't dare..." Diane whispered, her voice losing its polished tone for the first time. "That video will ruin Richard’s career. It will destroy this family's standing in the city!"
"I don't care about your family's standing," Emily said, her voice laced with absolute conviction. "I don't care about your money, your social clubs, or your pristine house. The only thing in this world I care about is protecting my son from monsters like you."
