Chapter 2 - The Bottle
Richard didn't call the police immediately.
That would later become one of the biggest mistakes of his life.
Instead, he stood in the living room staring at the security footage.
Again.
And again.
And again.
His mother was on the screen.
Holding Emma.
Forcing the bottle toward her mouth.
Claire was nowhere near the child.
Richard's stomach twisted.
He looked at his wife.
"I'm sorry."
Claire laughed bitterly.
"You're sorry?"
"Claire..."
"You slapped me."
His face fell.
"I know."
"You didn't ask me what happened."
"I know."
"You didn't look at Emma."
"I know."
Claire's eyes filled with tears.
"You believed your mother."
Richard had no answer.
Margaret suddenly interrupted.
"This is being taken out of context."
Richard turned.
"Out of context?"
"Yes."
"You grabbed Emma by the hair."
"I was trying to discipline her."
"You tried to force something into her mouth."
"It was medicine."
Claire stared at her.
"Medicine?"
Margaret nodded quickly.
"She has been sick."
Emma suddenly spoke.
"No."
Everyone turned.
Emma was still holding Claire's hand.
"Grandma said Mommy would be blamed."
Margaret's face changed.
"What?"
Emma continued.
"She said Daddy wouldn't love Mommy anymore."
Richard felt something inside him crack.
He looked at Margaret.
"Why would you say that to her?"
"I didn't."
Emma shook her head.
"You did."
Richard crouched beside his daughter.
"Emma, are you sure?"
She nodded.
"Grandma said Mommy was bad."
Margaret's voice rose.
"She is confused!"
Claire stepped between them.
"Don't you dare call my daughter a liar."
Richard stood.
"Mom, leave."
Margaret stared at him.
"You are choosing her?"
"I'm asking you to leave."
"This is my house too."
"No."
Richard's voice hardened.
"This is my house."
Margaret stared at him.
Then smiled.
It was a strange smile.
Cold.
Controlled.
"You really don't understand what you're doing."
Richard frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"You'll find out."
She grabbed her purse and left.
The front door slammed.
Claire remained silent.
Richard turned toward her.
"Let me explain."
Claire shook her head.
"No."
"I was wrong."
"You weren't just wrong."
She touched the red mark on her cheek.
"You hurt me."
Richard's face crumpled.
"I know."
Emma walked between them.
"Dad?"
Richard knelt.
"I'm sorry."
"You scared Mommy."
"I know."
"You have to say sorry to her."
Richard looked at Claire.
"I'm sorry."
Claire didn't answer.
The next morning, Richard took the bottle to a private laboratory.
The report came back that afternoon.
He nearly dropped it.
The liquid contained a dangerous combination of sedative medication and a substance that could cause severe vomiting and respiratory distress in a child.
It wasn't medicine.
It wasn't harmless.
It had been prepared to make Emma sick.
Richard sat alone in his office.
His hands trembled.
His mother had almost killed his daughter.
But why?
The answer came later that evening.
Richard's father had left Emma a trust.
It contained a substantial portion of the family estate.
The money would become accessible when Emma turned twenty-one.
Margaret had recently discovered something.
If Richard and Claire divorced, Margaret could petition to become Emma's guardian if Claire were portrayed as unstable.
And if Richard died unexpectedly, Margaret would control a separate family company.
The trust.
The company.
The house.
Everything.
Claire looked at the documents.
"She planned this."
Richard nodded.
"But there's more."
"What?"
"Someone has been transferring money from my company."
Claire frowned.
"How much?"
"Nearly four million dollars."
"To whom?"
Richard turned the laptop toward her.
The recipient was a consulting company.
Its owner was hidden behind another corporation.
But the registered address was familiar.
Margaret's house.
Claire stared.
"Your mother."
Richard shook his head.
"I don't understand."
Claire looked at him.
"Then start asking the right questions."
That night, Richard opened the security footage again.
He watched Margaret enter the house.
But this time, he noticed something.
She wasn't alone.
Three hours before the attack, a black sedan had stopped outside.
A man entered through the side door.
He stayed for seventeen minutes.
Richard paused the footage.
The man's face was visible.
Claire recognized him immediately.
"Richard."
"What?"
"That's your mother's attorney."
May you like
Richard's blood ran cold.
And suddenly, the bottle was no longer the worst thing in the room.
