"Chloe, dear, you didn’t do anything wrong. Maybe Mommy was just busy with something, but it’s okay now. From today on, Daddy will come pick you up. How does that sound?"
Chloe wrapped her little arms around my neck and kissed me on the cheek.
"Okay, Daddy. I love you the most!"
Then she rested her head on my chest, her small face filled with grievance. "Mom has been bringing a bad uncle home lately to play games and that bad uncle… he kisses me. I hate him!"
My heart skipped a beat. I tried to steady my voice as I asked, "What did Mommy say about that?"
She thought for a moment, then replied, "Mom said that the bad uncle kissed me because he liked me."
Her childish voice was innocent, but every word she said made my scalp tingle and my blood run cold.
Chloe was only four. What did she even understand about this? And that bastard, how dare he!
And Sienna… how could she allow something like this to happen under her own roof? That was her own daughter! Was she still worthy of being called a mother?
While I was still frozen in shock, Chloe went on, "Every time that bad uncle comes over, he takes my toys. If I don’t give them to him, he hits me."
As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeve, revealing bruises scattered across her delicate little arm.
Gosh, she was just a child. A child. And that monster dared to lay a hand on her?
"And he’s so mean. He said he wanted to sell me. I was really scared."
Her words jolted me back to reality. I looked down at her and saw the fear etched all over her tiny face.
It felt like someone had grabbed my heart in a vice and it hurt so much I could barely breathe.
After a long pause, I finally asked, "Chloe, does Mommy have any other secrets you know about?"
She hesitated, falling silent for a while. Then, with clear disappointment in her eyes, she slowly climbed down from my arms, lowered her head and avoided my gaze.
The look on her face made my heart lurch. Something was definitely wrong.
"Chloe, tell Daddy. What’s been going on with Mommy?"
The moment I asked, Chloe’s eyes turned red, tears welling up.
"Mommy locked me in the room so she could play games with the bad uncle. Even when it was dinnertime, she didn't let me out. I was so hungry."
The more she spoke, the more wronged she felt. Finally, she could not hold it in anymore, so she threw herself into my arms and broke down in tears.
Seeing her like this shattered my heart. The pain was unbearable that I wanted to tear Sienna and that scumbag apart right then and there.
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm. Then I gently asked, "Then how about Daddy take Chloe to have a yummy kids' meal today?"
Cradling her in my arms, I walked quickly toward the parking lot, a decision forming in my mind.
