He became angry.
He said his family had influence and connections.
He threatened to make sure you were blamed if I continued challenging him.
He said people would believe his family's version of events over the words of a thirteen-year-old girl.
Emma's breath caught.
She had known that there had been arguments.
She remembered strangers visiting the house, tense conversations behind closed doors, and her father returning from meetings looking exhausted.
But she had not known about the money.
She had not known about the threats.
And she had never imagined that Michael had been forced to defend her against people who seemed more concerned with protecting their image than understanding her circumstances.
Her eyes filled with tears.
She continued reading.
I wrote down one of those threats and made sure the investigator involved in the case received a copy.
I wanted there to be a record in case anyone tried to change the story later.
