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Layla never thought she'd watch her father being arrested.
Yet, here she was, watching Shoupe drag him out of the house. Mel had ran the plates of the car that showed up at her house seconds before Layla was locked in the sauna room. They tracked back to a man that no one knew, living out of a shitty apartment. After the police showed up, he'd confessed to it being his car, but Raymond was the one to take it. Of course, no one believed him.
Until the Ring doorbell was played and video proof of Raymond taking the truck just ten minutes before Layla was locked in. They arrested him immediately, Mel and Henry driving over to Layla old house to get her things but only to show up as they were putting him into the cop car. Layla watched, her heart sunken.
"Layla." Mel looked back at her.
"Could someone else pack up for me?" Layla asked, whipping her eyes as she crossed her arms in the back, "I wanna go back home."
"Yeah, we'll call a van." Henry nodded, turning around the car as he looked back at her in the mirror, "Do you wanna talk?"
Layla didn't say anything. Silence passed for a few moments before there was a sniffle from the back seat, "How could a father do this?"
Mel and Henry shared a sad look.
"Well, some people shouldn't be parents." Mel spoke to her gently as she glanced in the mirror for a moment, "Your dad is one of them."
Layla voice broke, "I miss my mom."
Henry frowned as he nodded, "I do too, kid."
"He killed her." Layla whispered after another second, "If he tried to kill me, he did her too, right?"
"It's most likely, they'll ask him at the station." Mel nodded, Henry pulling up into the driveway as they both turned to look back at her, "Do you want us to call your friends?"
"I'll call them." Layla sniffled as she whipped her eyes, getting out of the car and slamming it behind her.
"How do I make it better for her?" Henry looked over at Mel in questioning.
"Don't leave her." Mel gave a sad smile, rubbing his arm as the couple got out of the car.
Mel broke the news to Layla after the station called. Raymond not only admitted to locking Layla in the sauna, but also to being the cause of Alicias death. When they asked why, all he told Shoupe was that Layla and Alicia were just like his mother.
"His mother abused him." Layla said after Mel told her, her eyes stared off, like she was processing what she'd said to her, "I just- I need a-"
Layla didn't finish her sentence, instead standing up and hurrying toward her room. She locked her door, feeling like she couldn't cry even though that would make everything so much better. Uneven breathing came from Layla, she tried to inhale with gentle rubs to her chest, not helping much. She ran to her window, pushing it open and getting some air. Yet it still felt like she had a elephant sitting on her chest.
