Eleanor's trembling hands reached for Daniel's, her voice shaking with an urgency that immediately deepened his growing alarm. "She locks me in my room," she whispered, tears streaming down her weathered face. "Every afternoon, Daniel. I've told you, I've tried to tell you, but you never—"
"Mother Ashford, please," Vivian interrupted smoothly, her voice carrying gentle, patient concern as she stepped closer. "You know that's not what happens. You've been confused lately, remember? The doctor explained this."
Daniel looked up at his father's wife, uncertainty beginning to creep into his earlier alarm. He pulled out his phone instinctively, some instinct prompting him to check the household security app he rarely bothered opening. "Let me just verify," he said, more to himself than to either woman.
He scrolled quickly through the app's footage log, his brow furrowing as he searched for any recorded incident matching his grandmother's claim. Behind him, Vivian's earlier concerned expression had shifted into something quieter, more satisfied.