Her face was covered in red rashes. Tears shimmered in her eyes as she looked at Vincent. “It’s alright,” she said softly. “Maybe Sofia didn’t understand what she was doing. She probably didn’t mean to cause my allergy.”
Her false gentleness only fueled his anger.
“Stop defending that child,” Vincent snapped. “Alessandra put her up to this. She used Sofia to ruin your face.”
My mind went blank.
“That’s your daughter,” I shouted. “What exactly are you planning to do to her for this woman?”
Before I could say more, his hand struck my face. The sting was sharp enough to make my ears ring.
“I told you to watch your words,” he roared. “Has no one taught you manners since your mother died? You encouraged Sofia to pour alcohol into Roxanne’s skincare products. You knew she’s allergic. How could you be so cruel? And now you’re dragging your own child into this mess?”
Rage surged through me. “Sofia is five years old,” I shot back. “Do you think she even understands what alcohol is? It has a strong odor. It evaporates quickly. Anyone would notice. Yet she applied it to her own skin. And you believe this nonsense?”
He shouted over me. “Only Sofia went into Roxanne’s room. There were no servants in the house. If not her, then who? The security footage shows everything clearly. Stop denying it. After I finish questioning you, I’ll hand you both over to the police if I have to. Now bring Sofia out.”
His voice echoed in the small apartment.
He was demanding to see a child who was already ashes in my arms.
I clenched my jaw so hard it hurt and forced the words out. “You keep talking about surveillance. Then show it to me. I won’t stand here and let anyone drag my daughter’s name through the mud.”
Vincent did not hesitate. He unlocked his phone with a few swift taps and flung it at me as though tossing evidence onto a courtroom table.
On the screen was footage from inside the Volkov mansion. A small figure appeared in the frame, wearing a dress identical to the one Sofia had worn that day. The girl had a hat pulled low over her face and moved with an unsteady gait as she entered Roxanne’s bedroom.
She walked toward the vanity, took a small bottle out of a bag, and poured its contents into a jar of skincare cream. The video cut off immediately afterward.
I noticed the timestamp.
Two days ago.
By that time, my daughter had already been reduced to ashes.