How did things end up for him?

[SCENE START]

INT. KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS

Red and blue police lights flash rhythmically through the blinds, painting the kitchen in harsh, artificial light. OFFICERS hold RICHARD down on the floor, pinning his hands behind his back.

ARTHUR stands frozen, breathing heavily, his eyes locked onto Richard.

ARTHUR

(voice raspy, desperate)

What do you mean, Richard? What didn't she do?

SARAH

(screaming from the floor, weeping)

Richard, shut up! Don't you dare!

RICHARD

(grinning spitefully, face pressed against the floor)

Sarah didn't kill Chloe, Arthur... you did.

Arthur steps back, the world tilting beneath his feet.

ARTHUR

You're lying. I was at the hospital! I held her hand!

RICHARD

Why do you think Chloe asked for that specific bottle of water from her bedside table? Who brought that custom health mix from home every single day, thinking it was organic vitamins?

Arthur's eyes widen in sheer horror as a flashback memory hits him: him carefully pouring powdered supplements into Chloe's water bottle at the kitchen counter, night after night.

ARTHUR

(whispering, trembling violently)

No... No, Sarah gave me those supplements... She said the doctor prescribed them...

RICHARD

And you fed it to her every single night! She trusted her devoted father. Sarah just mixed the powder—you were the one who delivered the lethal dose, Arthur!

SARAH

(sobbing uncontrollably, burying her face in her hands)

Artie, I'm so sorry! I didn't want her to die, I just wanted her to stay weak! I didn't know the dosage was too high!

ARTHUR

(falling to his knees, clutching his chest)

My God... What have I done? What have I done?!

The POLICE CAPTAIN steps forward, placing a gentle hand on Arthur's trembling shoulder while gesturing for officers to drag Richard and Sarah away.

POLICE CAPTAIN

Mr. Vance... you were an unwitting pawn. They manipulated you. You didn't know.

ARTHUR

(staring at his own empty hands, weeping uncontrollably)

She trusted me... My baby girl trusted me...

The officers haul Richard and a hysterical Sarah out the front door. The heavy front door clicks shut, leaving Arthur alone in the quiet kitchen as rain continues to slam against the windowpane.

Slowly, Arthur reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out Barnaby, Chloe's worn brown teddy bear, holding it tight against his face as tears stream down his cheeks.

CAMERA SLOWLY PULLS BACK through the kitchen door, framing Arthur collapsed on the floor, holding his daughter's bear in the cold, dim light.

[FADE TO BLACK]