Gavin went white. His whole body began to shake, the iron chains rattling against the table legs. He pulled back and gripped his daughter’s shoulders, staring at her with a terrifying mix of horror, disbelief, and sudden, blinding hope.

“Chloe,” he choked out, his voice trembling so hard he could barely shape the words. “Are you… are you sure?”

The little girl didn’t hesitate. She looked him dead in the eye and nodded once — a slow, deliberate gesture of absolute certainty.

Gavin shot to his feet so fast that his steel chair crashed backward against the concrete.

“I’m innocent!” he roared toward the observation glass, his chest heaving, tears streaming down his hollow cheeks. “I didn’t do it! I can prove it now!

Lock the doors — I can prove it!”