Chapter 2: What She Kept Hidden Under the Bed
Part 2 ⬇️
The paramedics took Irene on a stretcher.
I held her hand until they made me let go.
"She's stable," one of them said.
"But we need to monitor the baby."
I couldn't speak.
While the officers led Margaret and Carla out in handcuffs, Mom was still talking.
"Austin, call our lawyer.
This is a misunderstanding.
That woman has been manipulating you since the day you met her!"
I didn't answer.
One of the officers pulled me aside.
"Sir, your wife was conscious briefly in the ambulance.
She kept repeating something."
"What did she say?"
He checked his notes.
"She said, 'Check the blue folder.
Don't let them take the blue folder.'"
I turned back toward the bedroom.
The suitcase was still open on the floor, held as evidence.
But under the bed — half-hidden, untouched — was a blue folder I had never seen before.
I reached for it.
Inside were printed messages.
Photographs.
Dates going back eight months.
My hands went still.
The messages were between Margaret and someone whose name I recognized immediately.
Someone who was supposed to be on my side.
May you like
Someone who had been in my home every single week.
I sat on the floor of my own bedroom and stared at the name until the words stopped making sense.
