Chapter 1
I Knew Something Was Wrong The Moment I Opened The Door—My Wife Was Cleaning With Our Newborn In Her Arms While My Mother Shoved Her Head And Screamed, “Hurry Up!”
I knew something was wrong the moment I opened the door of our suburban Chicago home.
My one-month-old son was crying so loudly that I could hear him from the driveway.
Then my mother’s voice thundered from the kitchen.
“Move faster! This entire house is filthy!”
I dropped my briefcase and ran toward the sound.
My wife, Emily, was wiping the kitchen floor with one hand while holding our newborn against her chest.
Her hair was tangled, her face was pale, and both hands were trembling.
My mother, Linda, stood behind her, repeatedly jabbing her fingers against the back of Emily’s head.
“I said hurry up!”
“Mom, get your hands off her!”
Emily spun around so quickly that the baby began crying even harder.
Linda lowered her hand and stared at me.
“Daniel, you’re home early.”
I took the cleaning cloth from Emily and pulled her behind me.
“What have you been doing to my wife?”
Linda folded her arms.
“I’m teaching her how to care for her family.”
Emily tried to speak, but her lips trembled.
Linda pointed at her.
“Look at that performance. She always pretends to be helpless when you’re here.”
I reached for our son.
Emily recoiled and held him tighter.
“Please don’t take him,” she whispered.
My chest tightened.
“Emily, it’s me.”
She looked toward Linda before finally placing the baby in my arms.
That was when I saw the bruises around her wrist.
There were red marks along the side of her neck.
“Who did this?”
“She fell,” Linda answered immediately.
Emily stared at the floor.
I stepped closer to her.
“Tell me the truth.”
Linda slammed her palm against the counter.
“She hasn’t slept. She doesn’t know what she’s saying.”
Emily suddenly grabbed my sleeve.
“She won’t let me sleep.”
Linda’s expression hardened.
“She wakes me every hour,” Emily whispered. “Then she makes me clean while I hold the baby.”
“That is a lie!” Linda screamed.
Emily flinched so badly that her knees gave way.
I caught her before she hit the floor.
As I helped her stand, a small pill bottle fell from her robe pocket.
The label had been torn off.
Linda lunged for it, but I picked it up first.
“What is this?”
Emily stared at the bottle, then looked at me.
“Daniel, that isn’t the worst thing.”
My stomach dropped.
She nodded toward the hallway.
“There’s a camera in our bedroom.”
I stared at her.
Linda suddenly rushed toward the hallway.
I grabbed her arm before she could get away.
“Why are you running?”
Linda went completely still.
May you like
Then Emily said the words that made my blood run cold.
“Because she knows exactly who put it there.”
