By three in the morning, officers reached the Bennett residence, a modest home on Willow Street. Through frosted windows, they could see the man pacing, yelling into the empty room. When they knocked, the shouting stopped abruptly.
“Rick Bennett! Police! Open up!” one officer called.
No answer.
Moments later, the door swung open, and Rick lunged with a broken bottle. Officers restrained him swiftly, revealing a living room wrecked in anger—holes in the walls, a broken crib, and a bloodstained belt draped over a chair.
Felix exhaled as he heard the confirmation over the radio. “He won’t hurt anyone again,” he said to Miriam.
Theo, holding Amelie close, simply nodded. “Can we stay here tonight?” he asked quietly.
“You can stay as long as you need,” Miriam said, smiling.
Weeks later, during the trial, evidence of abuse was undeniable: Theo’s testimony, medical reports, and photographs from the house. Rick Bennett pled guilty to multiple counts of child abuse and endangerment.
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