Chapter 2 - WHAT HANNAH HADN'T SAID
The police arrived with paramedics eight minutes later.
Evelyn changed before the front door even opened.
Her shoulders dropped. Her voice softened. Tears appeared almost on command.
“My daughter-in-law is sick,” she told Officer Reyes. “I tried to stop her from hurting herself.”
Lucas stared at his mother.
“You were holding her by the hair.”
“I was restraining her.”
“You slammed her into the crib.”
Evelyn pressed a hand to her chest. “I raised you better than this.”
Hannah was taken to the hospital for evaluation. Sophie went with her. Lucas followed, but before he left, he walked back into the nursery.
The baby monitor sat dark on the dresser.
He touched the cord.
Unplugged.
That made no sense. Lucas had checked it before dinner.
At the hospital, Hannah received stitches near her hairline and a scan showed a mild concussion. When Lucas finally sat beside her, shame felt like a weight on his lungs.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Hannah looked at him for a long time.
“I tried.”
“No. I mean really tell me.”
“I did.”
He frowned.
“Two weeks ago, I said your mom scared me when you weren’t home. You told me she was stressed.”
Lucas remembered.
“Last week I said she kept coming into our bedroom without knocking. You said she was helping.”
His stomach tightened.
“And yesterday,” Hannah continued, “I told you I woke up dizzy after the tea she made me. You said I needed sleep.”
Lucas lowered his eyes.
She wasn’t accusing him loudly. That made it worse.
“I thought she was being overbearing,” he whispered.
“She told me nobody would believe me over her.”
Lucas looked up.
Hannah reached into her purse and pulled out a small spiral notebook.
“I started writing things down.”
Page after page contained dates, times, remarks, missing medication, sudden dizziness, and arguments Evelyn later denied ever having.
Lucas turned to the last page.
There was one sentence written in shaky ink.
Evelyn says she has a doctor, a lawyer, and proof that I’m dangerous.
May you like
Below it, Hannah had added another line.
I think she’s been using my phone while I sleep.
