Daniel’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t answer. His fingers drummed against the table, a nervous tic he’d had since childhood.
Sheriff Reed leaned forward, folding his hands. “Daniel, your mother didn’t call me. I did.”
Daniel blinked. “What? Why?”
Pastor Harris spoke gently. “Because I was on the phone with your mother when you struck her.”
A flicker of panic crossed Daniel’s face. He turned to me sharply. “You—you told him?”
“I didn’t have to,” I replied. “The phone was still on the counter. He heard everything.”
Daniel’s mouth opened, searching for a defense that wouldn’t come. Elaine cleared her throat—quiet, steady, but sharp as a knife.
“Danny,” she said, using the nickname he hated, “I told you years ago that anger like yours doesn’t just disappear. Now look where we are.”
He shot her a glare. “Stay out of this, Aunt Elaine.”
But she didn’t flinch. “I flew across three states to be in this.”
The sheriff’s voice cut through the tension. “Daniel, what happened last night is domestic assault. Doesn’t matter if you live here. Doesn’t matter if you’re family.”
He swallowed hard, suddenly looking much smaller in his oversized hoodie.
“So what?” he whispered. “You gonna lock me up? Throw your own church member in jail?” He looked pleadingly at Pastor Harris.
But the pastor only shook his head. “I’m here today as Margaret’s shepherd, not your shield.”
The room felt colder then. Even the sunlight seemed thin.
I looked at my son—my only child, the boy I once rocked to sleep after nightmares. His eyes were wet, though he tried to hide it.
“Daniel,” I said softly but firmly, “this ends today. You will not raise your hand to me again. You will not shout at me again. You will not treat this home—my home—like your punching bag.”
He gritted his teeth. “So what happens now?”
I took a slow breath and folded my napkin neatly in my lap.
“That depends on you,” I answered. “But Sheriff Reed has some things to say… and some papers for you to sign.”
Daniel’s eyes widened. “Papers? What papers?”
Sheriff Reed reached into his leather folder.
And that was the moment everything truly changed.
