\u201cForty-two million dollars?\u201d<\/p>\n
My voice sounded distant even to me.<\/p>\n
Dad kept his eyes on Roland.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trust contains property, investments, and controlling shares your mother placed aside for Wren.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn't you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it was never intended to be yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward the hallway.<\/p>\n
My daughter was sleeping upstairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is six days old.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd they already built a plan around her inheritance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lena placed her hand over the custody draft.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder the original terms, Simone becomes managing trustee when her first child is born.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roland stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if she is declared incapable?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lena's expression sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou seem unusually familiar with that possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm asking a question.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said. \u201cYou're asking about a plan you already know exists.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes met mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't create it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you signed it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother said it was a precaution.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA precaution against what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPostpartum depression.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have never been diagnosed with postpartum depression.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were behaving differently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had given birth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, Roland.\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don't.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't know the trust was worth forty-two million.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad spoke quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much did you think it was worth?\u201d<\/p>\n
Roland didn't answer.<\/p>\n
The silence was enough.<\/p>\n
He might not have known the exact amount.<\/p>\n
But he had known there was enough money to fight over.<\/p>\n
I picked up the original draft.<\/p>\n
My name appeared over and over.<\/p>\n
Unstable.<\/p>\n
Unpredictable.<\/p>\n
Emotionally detached.<\/p>\n
A possible danger to herself and her infant.<\/p>\n
Each phrase felt like a stranger's description of me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho told Faye about the trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
Roland looked toward the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnswer her,\u201d Dad said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFaye found out at the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe saw Caldwell on Simone's admission information.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat explains my name.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn't explain how she knew about Wren's trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
He rubbed the back of his neck.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom found a letter.\u201d<\/p>\n
My breathing stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat letter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one from your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
I knew immediately.<\/p>\n
Years before Wren was born, Mom had written a letter for the grandchild she hoped I would someday have.<\/p>\n
She had sealed it in a pale blue envelope.<\/p>\n
For Baby Caldwell, when the time comes.<\/p>\n
I had kept it in the bottom drawer of the nursery dresser.<\/p>\n
It mentioned the trust.<\/p>\n
Not its value.<\/p>\n
But enough.<\/p>\n
Only three people knew where that letter was.<\/p>\n
Me.<\/p>\n
Dad.<\/p>\n
And Roland.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou showed it to your mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how did she find it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was helping prepare the nursery while you were in the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe went through my drawers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said she was looking for blankets.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe blankets were in the closet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roland looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know what you want me to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
He lowered his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe called me after she found it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you let her read it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told her to put it back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI assumed she did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you tell her about the trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe had already read the letter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn't what I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
His jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word landed harder than shouting.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout two hours after Wren was born.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two hours.<\/p>\n
I remembered that night.<\/p>\n
I remembered lying in the hospital bed with pain cutting through my abdomen.<\/p>\n
I remembered asking Roland to bring me Wren.<\/p>\n
I remembered him standing beside the window with his phone in his hand.<\/p>\n
I remembered asking him for help.<\/p>\n
He had told me to press the nurse button.<\/p>\n
While I lay there, he had been discussing our daughter's inheritance with his mother.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you tell her I would manage the trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told her what your mother wrote.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat it was strange.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStrange?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat you had never mentioned it to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn't yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am Wren's father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were also my husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat should have mattered before you learned there was money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lena turned another page.<\/p>\n
\u201cFaye created the original custody draft at 11:43 that night.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered 11:43.<\/p>\n
Wren had been crying.<\/p>\n
I had tried to sit up.<\/p>\n
Pain had shot across my stomach.<\/p>\n
Roland had been by the window texting.<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you texting Faye?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you tell her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat you were struggling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked you to hand me our daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were crying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo was Wren.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou looked overwhelmed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had just given birth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was worried about you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were building a case against me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lena tapped the document.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe evidence says otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roland sat down.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't know she was writing that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why did you sign the final petition?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had already taken my car.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have called me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI called someone who came.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward Dad.<\/p>\n
For a moment, I thought shame had finally reached him.<\/p>\n
Then his phone vibrated.<\/p>\n
He looked at the screen.<\/p>\n
He turned it face down.<\/p>\n
Lena noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that your mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen show us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is my private phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are serious allegations.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm done.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou haven't seen Wren.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said I could.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter we talked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're talking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're answering only the questions that don't frighten you.\u201d<\/p>\n
His expression hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you leave now, the next conversation happens in court.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou would keep my daughter from me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI would protect her from anyone who signed a false statement about her mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI made a mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA mistake is forgetting an appointment.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou accused me of being dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother said if I didn't file first, your father would use his money to take Wren from me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil yesterday, I had never interfered in your marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roland gave a bitter laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe house belongs to your trust. The car belongs to your trust. Everything was controlled by you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe house was provided for Simone,\u201d Dad said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI made payments.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Lena interrupted.<\/p>\n
Roland looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou transferred money from the joint account into an account connected to your consulting company.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face went pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou accessed my business records?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe reviewed records belonging to Simone.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did the money go?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt covered expenses.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat expenses?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInsurance. Maintenance. Taxes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trust paid those,\u201d Lena said.<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
For eighteen months, nearly four thousand dollars had disappeared every month.<\/p>\n
More than seventy thousand dollars.<\/p>\n
Money I thought was paying for our home.<\/p>\n
Money he had been moving elsewhere.<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid your mother know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis has nothing to do with her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything seems to have something to do with her.\u201d<\/p>\n
His phone vibrated again.<\/p>\n
This time the screen lit up before he could hide it.<\/p>\n
I saw the sender.<\/p>\n
MOM.<\/p>\n
And the first four words.<\/p>\n
Do not mention the tablets.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat's that?\u201d<\/p>\n
He shoved the phone into his pocket.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat tablets?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGet out of my way,\u201d Roland said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is my house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSimone is my wife.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen start behaving like her husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roland looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt isn't what you think.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do I think?\u201d<\/p>\n
He couldn't answer.<\/p>\n
Lena stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Tran, you are free to leave. But preserve every message, email, and document related to this matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven't deleted anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
He reached for the door.<\/p>\n
Gregory entered.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Caldwell.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe security archive has been completed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad's expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBring it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory held a tablet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is footage from six nights ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
The night Wren was born.<\/p>\n
He placed the tablet on the table.<\/p>\n
The recording showed our kitchen at 2:14 in the morning.<\/p>\n
The room was dark except for the stove light.<\/p>\n
A figure entered through the garage.<\/p>\n
Judith.<\/p>\n
She wore the same gray cardigan she had worn at the hospital.<\/p>\n
She carried a large handbag.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was she doing at our house?\u201d<\/p>\n
Roland stared at the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were at the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo was she.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot at 2:14.\u201d<\/p>\n
Judith walked directly to the cabinet beside the refrigerator.<\/p>\n
She removed my bottle of vitamins.<\/p>\n
Then she reached into her handbag.<\/p>\n
She took out another pharmacy bag.<\/p>\n
My hands began to shake.<\/p>\n
Judith opened my bottle.<\/p>\n
She poured the original tablets onto a paper towel.<\/p>\n
Then she replaced them with different pills.<\/p>\n
Roland turned away.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop the video.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody did.<\/p>\n
Judith carried the original tablets to the sink.<\/p>\n
She dropped them into the garbage disposal.<\/p>\n
She ran the water.<\/p>\n
Then she replaced the bottle.<\/p>\n
The recording ended.<\/p>\n
I remembered the morning after we returned home.<\/p>\n
Judith had brought tea.<\/p>\n
She had held Wren.<\/p>\n
Before leaving, she placed a white tablet beside my breakfast.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to take care of yourself,\u201d she had said.<\/p>\n
I had swallowed it.<\/p>\n
Without asking.<\/p>\n
I trusted her.<\/p>\n
I trusted Roland.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she give me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Roland looked toward the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me to take those every morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought they were vitamins.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother texted you about tablets.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn't mean I knew what they were.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lena picked up her phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to contact law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Roland said.<\/p>\n
Everyone looked at him.<\/p>\n
He seemed startled by his own response.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere may be an explanation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor replacing my medication?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe she was trying to help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen let her explain it to the police.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roland reached for the tablet.<\/p>\n
Dad blocked his hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon't touch it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to see the date.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe date is visible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere has to be a mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere isn't,\u201d Gregory said.<\/p>\n
Wren began crying upstairs.<\/p>\n
I turned toward the stairs.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, every medicine bottle in my house frightened me.<\/p>\n
Every cup of tea Judith had brought.<\/p>\n
Every meal.<\/p>\n
Every time I had felt dizzy.<\/p>\n
Every time Roland had told me I was simply exhausted.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
I ran upstairs.<\/p>\n
Roland followed.<\/p>\n
Dad stepped between us.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou stay here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's my baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Simone is her mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
I reached the nursery.<\/p>\n
Wren was crying in her crib.<\/p>\n
I lifted her.<\/p>\n
Her cries softened against my chest.<\/p>\n
A woman in navy medical scrubs appeared in the doorway.<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm Dr. Priya Desai.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Dad.<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked her to examine you and Wren,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Dr. Desai checked Wren first.<\/p>\n
Her heartbeat was strong.<\/p>\n
Her breathing was normal.<\/p>\n
Then she turned to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat medication have you taken since leaving the hospital?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought they were vitamins.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne each morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many days?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you still have the bottle?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
She examined me.<\/p>\n
Then she collected blood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat could those tablets do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't want to speculate until we know what they were.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCould they make me look unstable?\u201d<\/p>\n
She didn't answer immediately.<\/p>\n
That frightened me.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome substances can cause confusion, weakness, excessive sleepiness, memory problems, and unusual behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n
The exact things written in my custody petition.<\/p>\n
Downstairs, Roland's phone rang.<\/p>\n
Faye.<\/p>\n
He rejected the call.<\/p>\n
She called again.<\/p>\n
Then a message appeared.<\/p>\n
Mom says Simone's father has the security footage. Delete our chat now.<\/p>\n
Lena saw it.<\/p>\n
Dad saw it.<\/p>\n
Roland froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you delete that,\u201d Dad said, \u201cyou will leave this house in handcuffs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven't deleted anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShow Simone the message.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother says dramatic things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe just told you to destroy evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roland moved toward the door.<\/p>\n
Lena stopped him with her voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon't.\u201d<\/p>\n
He slowly placed his phone on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cPassword.\u201d<\/p>\n
He hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cRoland.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWrenSix.\u201d<\/p>\n
The password made my stomach twist.<\/p>\n
Our daughter's name.<\/p>\n
Her age in days.<\/p>\n
Used to protect conversations about taking her away from me.<\/p>\n
Lena opened the messages.<\/p>\n
Most of the private conversation with Faye had been deleted.<\/p>\n
But the family group remained.<\/p>\n
Sunday Dinner.<\/p>\n
At first, the messages looked harmless.<\/p>\n
Food.<\/p>\n
Dessert.<\/p>\n
Arrival times.<\/p>\n
Then Lena scrolled backward.<\/p>\n
Judith: Has she started the new bottle?<\/p>\n
Roland: Yesterday.<\/p>\n
Faye: Any dizziness?<\/p>\n
Roland: She said she was tired.<\/p>\n
Judith: Good. Keep writing down everything she says.<\/p>\n
Roland: This feels wrong.<\/p>\n
Faye: What feels wrong is letting her hide forty million dollars from Wren's father.<\/p>\n
Roland: It's Wren's money, not mine.<\/p>\n
Faye: It becomes yours if Simone can't manage it.<\/p>\n
Roland: I'm not doing anything that hurts her.<\/p>\n
Judith: Nobody is hurting her. We're protecting the baby.<\/p>\n
My knees weakened.<\/p>\n
He had known.<\/p>\n
Maybe he hadn't known exactly what was in the tablets.<\/p>\n
But he had known enough.<\/p>\n
He had watched me become dizzy.<\/p>\n
He had watched me struggle to stay awake while feeding Wren.<\/p>\n
Instead of calling a doctor, he had recorded it.<\/p>\n
Lena kept scrolling.<\/p>\n
A photograph appeared.<\/p>\n
It showed me asleep on the sofa with Wren beside me.<\/p>\n
Roland had taken it.<\/p>\n
Beneath it, he had written:<\/p>\n
She fell asleep again at 3:20.<\/p>\n
Faye had replied:<\/p>\n
Perfect. Dr. Rourke can use that.<\/p>\n
Roland covered his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought they were documenting exhaustion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou thought falling asleep made me an unfit mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn't thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were thinking about forty-two million dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told them I wouldn't hurt you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou let them hurt me for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
He began crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cSimone, please.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped away.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word seemed to break something inside him.<\/p>\n
Maybe because I had rarely said it during our marriage.<\/p>\n
No, you may not blame your mother.<\/p>\n
No, you may not call this a misunderstanding.<\/p>\n
No, you may not use our daughter to escape the consequences of what you did.<\/p>\n
Lena reached the oldest message.<\/p>\n
It had been sent eight days before Wren was born.<\/p>\n
A photograph showed a copy of my mother's private trust amendment.<\/p>\n
Beneath it, Faye had written:<\/p>\n
I found this in Judith's safe. The baby's birth activates everything.<\/p>\n
Judith answered:<\/p>\n
Then we have one week to make sure Roland controls the mother.<\/p>\n
Roland:<\/p>\n
What if Simone refuses?<\/p>\n
Judith:<\/p>\n
Then we make sure nobody believes she is capable of refusing.<\/p>\n
I could barely breathe.<\/p>\n
There was another attachment.<\/p>\n
A hospital medication order bearing Dr. Rourke's signature.<\/p>\n
It had been submitted in my name before I went into labor.<\/p>\n
Before anyone could claim I was confused.<\/p>\n
Before anyone could claim I was unstable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey planned this before the hospital,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n
Lena nodded.<\/p>\n
Roland shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never saw that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were in the group.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI muted it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou replied beneath it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI answered Mom's question.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad's phone rang.<\/p>\n
He listened.<\/p>\n
His expression changed.<\/p>\n
He turned toward Dr. Desai.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe laboratory found a substance in Simone's blood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat substance?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Desai took the phone.<\/p>\n
Her face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to take both of you to the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roland moved toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did they find?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Desai looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cA powerful sedative.\u201d<\/p>\n
I held Wren tighter.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was in my blood?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas it in my milk?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to test your daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room seemed to tilt.<\/p>\n
Then Lena's phone chimed.<\/p>\n
She looked at the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hospital found another recording.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat recording?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSecurity footage from the night Wren was born.\u201d<\/p>\n
She read the message.<\/p>\n
\u201cFaye entered the medication room with Dr. Rourke.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hands went cold.<\/p>\n
Then she continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey found footage outside your hospital room.\u201d<\/p>\n
She pressed play.<\/p>\n
Judith's voice came first.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens if the pills affect the baby too?\u201d<\/p>\n
Faye answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen the court will move even faster.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was a pause.<\/p>\n
Then Roland's voice.<\/p>\n
Six words.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust make sure Simone takes them.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at my husband.<\/p>\n
He did not try to deny it.<\/p>\n
\u201cForty-two million dollars?\u201d My voice sounded distant even to me. Dad kept his eyes on Roland. \u201cThe trust contains property, investments, and controlling shares your mother placed aside for Wren.\u201d … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7026,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7029"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7029\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7045,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7029\/revisions\/7045"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}