Chapter 10 - THE SECOND PLAN
Mason denied trying to harm me.
He said Diane had contacted him because she knew he possessed copies of the financial records.
“She offered me money.”
“How much?”
“Three hundred thousand.”
“For what?”
“The flash drive.”
I wanted to throw something at him.
“You met the woman being investigated for trying to hurt my baby.”
“I met her in a public hospital.”
“You used a fake badge.”
Mason looked at the floor.
That was enough.
Detective Ruiz arrested him for unauthorized access and obstruction while they investigated what he had done.
But Mason insisted my mother had another reason for coming.
“She kept asking about Hannah’s delivery date.”
Ethan’s face changed.
“What exactly did she ask?”
“When would the baby be considered legally born for purposes of the trust?”
Margaret answered quietly.
“The moment of live birth.”
Mason nodded.
“Diane wanted to know whether premature delivery counted.”
My skin prickled.
Of course it counted.
If my daughter survived.
My mother wasn’t trying to understand medicine.
She was trying to understand the deadline.
Later that evening, Dr. Collins entered with new test results.
The substance found in my blood had decreased.
But there were signs I had been exposed repeatedly over several weeks.
Not once.
Repeatedly.
I thought about the vitamins.
Every morning.
One capsule.
A glass of orange juice.
My mother had delivered the bottle personally.
Ethan drove home with police permission and retrieved it.
The lab tested several capsules.
Some had been altered.
I stopped crying when Detective Ruiz told me.
I think part of me had already known.
There are betrayals so large your heart refuses to accept them until science removes every possible excuse.
My mother had not merely defended Lauren after the kick.
She had been trying to end my pregnancy before Lauren ever raised her foot.
May you like
The assault was not the beginning.
It was the backup plan.
