Chapter 7: Process
The first week in her father’s house moved to the rhythm of medical checks and formal appointments.
Dr. Richter scheduled additional monitoring. The baby remained active, the measurements steady. Beate learned to sit carefully, to sleep on her side, to accept help with things that still pulled at the healing lines across her back. Julia handled the pharmacy runs. Their mother cooked without commentary. Thomas drove her to every appointment and waited in the corridor with the same stillness he had once reserved for briefing rooms.
May you like
Kommissarin Brenner’s updates were brief and factual. The cloud video had been preserved under forensic protocol. The house had been searched; the belt was logged as evidence. Gero’s preliminary statement attempted to reframe the evening as mutual conflict escalated by stress. The footage made the reframing difficult to sustain. An extension of the protection order was granted without hearing.
Beate did not watch the video again. She had already seen it once from the outside. Once had been enough to prove to herself that the cage was real. The system now carried the proof forward.
