Emily glanced toward the camera mounted above the kitchen doorway.
Daniel followed her gaze.
For the first time, the color began to drain from his face.
“That camera isn’t active,” he said.
Emily smiled faintly.
“It became active again last Thursday.”
Vanessa’s head snapped toward Daniel.
“You said you disconnected them.”
“I did.”
“You disconnected the local monitor,” Emily corrected. “The cloud system never stopped recording.”
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“You were spying on me?”
“In my own house?”
“Our house.”
“No,” Emily said. “That was your first mistake.”
She crossed the kitchen and picked up a tablet from the side table. With several taps, she opened the security archive.
The screen displayed footage from the previous evening.
Daniel and Vanessa were standing in the same kitchen, speaking quietly while Emily had been upstairs showering.
Vanessa’s voice came through clearly.
“How long until you can get her to sign?”
Daniel answered, “Give me a month. She’s emotional. Once she thinks I’m disappointed in her as a wife, she’ll do anything to prove herself.”
Vanessa laughed on the recording.
“And if she refuses?”
Daniel’s recorded face became hard.
“Then we make living here unbearable until she leaves. Once she moves out, I file first.”
The kitchen was silent.
Vanessa backed away from the tablet as though it might burn her.
Daniel lunged for it.
Emily pulled it out of reach.
“Don’t.”
“You recorded a private conversation.”
“You planned to emotionally abuse me out of my own home.”