Marissa echoed Rachelle's sentiment, following her and Taylor up the stairs, leaving behind Celine, her father, Alan, Mrs. Rosewood, and Nolan. None of them made a move to leave. Even though both Nolan and Mrs. Rosewood were turned away from the laptop screen, they didn't seem inclined to get a better look either.
Detective Cheng took a deep breath as though contemplating one final objection before finally conceding. "I must strongly advise against this for all of you. If you insist, I'll allow it, but remember, sometimes it's better not to know for certain."
Their expectant stares urged the detective on; it was too late to back out now. To Celine, the warnings only fueled her determination. Detective Cheng was wrong – wondering was far worse. As silence lingered, the detective sighed in resignation before pressing the space bar on the keyboard to start the video.
Celine watched in horrified fascination as Juliette appeared on screen, lounging on a chair and talking on the phone – and talking to her. Mr. Grier wrapped a comforting arm around Celine's shoulder, though his hug felt forced and stiff; another sign that their world was utterly off-kilter.
The scene quickly escalated after Celine's conversation with Juliette had ended. She saw something dart across the screen behind Juliette as she stood up to leave the room. At an unheard sound, Juliette spun around, screamed, and fled, knocking over anything in her path to thwart the intruder enough to escape. The footage then switched to another camera in the kitchen where Derick rapidly caught up with Juliette. Though inaudible from the video, Celine knew her sister was shouting warnings to Hunter.
Celine's breath hitched as Derick grabbed Juliette by the hood and pulled her back into him. Mr. Grier's grip tightened painfully on her arm while Alan watched with an intense calmness that Celine couldn't decipher. She refocused on the screen. With Derick's hand covering Juliette's mouth and a knife pressed against her throat, Juliette froze.
Celine clasped her hands over her mouth and pinched her nose shut; if she couldn't breathe, she couldn't cry or scream.
Hunter appeared onscreen within seconds with his phone in hand but quickly discarded it upon seeing Juliette in peril. Alan straightened in his chair as Hunter raised his hands in surrender and knelt before Derick. A sob escaped from behind Celine's hands as Juliette collapsed and Derick aimed a handgun at Hunter. Celine bit down hard on her knuckle to stifle a scream.
When Juliette leapt in front of the gun, so did Celine's heart.
Alan reached across the table, pausing the clip to capture a clear image of Juliette wrapping her hand around the gun's barrel to shield Hunter. Celine wished he hadn't. Her heart raced as Alan twisted the computer around for Mrs. Rosewood to see. She glanced at the screen briefly before averting her tear-filled eyes.
"No, Barbara. Look at it," Alan commanded, his voice dripping with contempt. Mrs. Rosewood reluctantly looked back at the screen. "That's your husband. You brought him into Hunter's life."
"We're separated," Mrs. Rosewood sobbed.
"Yeah. Congratulations. Now there's a gun in my son's face."
Mrs. Rosewood snapped the laptop shut and leaped from her chair, visibly shattered yet furious. Her face, streaked with mascara, flushed scarlet with anger. "I get it! I did this. Whatever Derick does to Hunter will be my fault. Don't waste your time blaming me, Alan. If he doesn't make it, I'll do you all a favor and kill myself."
She glared at everyone, daring them to respond. No one did. Mrs. Rosewood's face crumpled, but before she could break down in front of them, she left—walking with composed defiance despite her pain and the heavy burden she carried.
Silence lingered after she was gone as they exchanged uncomfortable glances. Detective Cheng slipped her computer back into her bag and withdrew into a corner of the room. Alan rubbed his face with one hand before silently following Mrs. Rosewood out the door.