As soon as the officers walked out of the hospital room, the atmosphere immediately changed, and the faint warmth that had briefly existed inside vanished completely.
Silence settled.
Then…
Aiden's body immediately shivered as he felt his father's hand resting upon his shoulder tighten firmly, no longer keeping up the act of the gentle father he had seen only moments ago.
"Aiden." His neutral, cold voice quietly reached the child's ears, completely different from the gentle, caring tone he had been using just a moment earlier.
"Tomorrow… you will say exactly what I tell you to say."
His fingers dug a little deeper into Aiden's shoulder.
"Do you understand?"
The little boy's body immediately began trembling violently. His head lowered until he couldn't look at anything other than his injured hands.
