Chapter 13 - Followed
I locked the doors and called Mara. "Linda's outside the lawyer's office."
"Don't drive home if you're worried she's following. Go somewhere public and call for help if you feel threatened."
I pulled into a grocery store lot with people walking between cars. Linda followed, parked two rows away, and approached my window carrying a folder. I started recording on my phone, keeping it visible.
"Roll it down," she ordered.
I lowered it barely an inch. "Leave me alone."
"I have a schedule here. I'll take the first two weeks after delivery so you can rest. After that we'll decide."
"No."
"Daniel and I agreed you need help."
"Then Daniel can learn the difference between helping me and replacing me."
Her voice sharpened. "You think carrying a child makes you a mother? You have no idea what you're doing."
"Maybe not. But I know my baby isn't a prize."
A shopper glanced over. Linda stepped back and smiled as if we'd been exchanging recipes. "You always make everything ugly."
She walked away when I said I would call security if she didn't. I waited until her SUV left, saved the video, and contacted Helen for advice about the repeated unwanted contact. I didn't want another argument. I wanted a record.
Daniel called that evening, angry on my behalf for once. He claimed he hadn't told Linda where I was. Then he remembered he'd mentioned my appointment to her during a phone call about the missing letter.
"You told her where I was going while I was asking you not to share my information?"
"I didn't think she'd follow you."
"You never think she'll do the thing she's telling you she'll do."
His silence was different now. It sounded like he was finally hearing himself.
May you like
A few minutes later he sent a photograph. He had collected the letter from Linda. On the back, in her tight blue handwriting, she'd written one sentence.
A real mother wouldn't need to write this.
