Officer Turner asked everyone to sit. Mark forced a smile, though his voice wavered.
“There must be a misunderstanding. This is just a family disagreement.”

“I’m here because of a report about ongoing emotional pressure in this household,” the officer replied evenly. “And because the person who contacted us is expecting a child.”

I lowered myself into a chair, my hand on my belly. For the first time, I spoke openly. Not angrily. Not tearfully. Just honestly. I described the constant control, the belittling words, the fear I carried quietly every day. Things I had hidden for years because I thought enduring them was part of being a wife.

Lisa tried to interrupt, but Officer Turner gently stopped her.