Chapter 2: The Boy Who Had Been Counting Every Night

Part 2 — continued below ⬇️

Noah's voice came down the stairs, clear and steady.

"I have it all on video.

Every single word.

Every bl0w."

The room went completely still.

Ryan's face drained of color.

One of the officers spoke first.

"Son, can you come downstairs with that phone?"

A moment passed.

Then the bathroom door clicked open.

Noah walked down slowly, both hands holding my phone out in front of him like it was something precious.

Something he knew mattered.

Ryan took a step toward him.

"Give me that phone right now."

"Sir." The officer moved between them.

"Do not approach the child."

Ryan turned to me, his voice dropping to something low and ugly.

"You put him up to this."

"He did this himself," I said.

"He's eight years old, Ryan."

Noah stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked up at his father.

"I've been recording for a long time, Dad.

This isn't the first time."

Ryan's mouth opened.

Nothing came out.

The officer took the phone gently from Noah's hands and looked at the screen.

Whatever he saw made him glance at his partner.

That look told me everything.

Then Ryan said something so quietly I almost didn't hear it — and it changed everything I thought I knew about why this had been happening.

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