I forced myself to answer normally. “Just trying to sleep, darling.” He paused. “Sorry about the noise. Go back to bed.” Then his footsteps slowly disappeared down the hallway.
When the police arrived, Julian greeted them in his expensive bathrobe. I heard him laughing politely, explaining that there must have been a misunderstanding involving his elderly mother.
But I had already told the dispatcher what happened. When officers separated everyone to speak privately, I described exactly what I had seen without softening a single detail.
Clara initially insisted that nothing was wrong. She stood in the kitchen wrapped in a blanket, her wet hair hanging around her shoulders. She could barely look toward Julian.
A female officer gently asked to speak with her alone. I watched Clara disappear into the guest room, looking frightened enough to collapse. Julian remained unusually calm throughout the questioning.
Eventually, Clara admitted that Julian had been punishing her with cold showers for months. Whenever she disagreed with him, questioned his spending, or refused an unreasonable demand, he retaliated.
