Chapter 6 - Somewhere With a Locked Door
Tessa arrived at the hospital with a clean sleeper for Emma, a charger for Olivia, and a fierce look for Adrian. She had known Clara long before Clara met him. She did not ask for his version of the story.
"You're staying with me," she told Clara. "I have a spare room and a door that locks."
"I don't want to bring trouble to your house."
"You brought a baby who needs sleep. Trouble can stay outside."
The pediatrician discharged Emma after observation. She had a small bruise on one leg but no sign of a serious injury. Clara held the paperwork like a fragile promise, checking the instructions twice. The relief made her knees weak.
Olivia wanted to ride with them. Clara hugged her. "Your dad needs to hear what you have to say. But if you don't feel safe at home, call me, and I'll come get you."
"You're the one who got hurt," Olivia said.
"That doesn't stop me from caring about you."
Adrian stood at the end of the corridor. "Olivia can stay with Tessa, too, if that's what she wants. I'll make sure Vanessa isn't there."
"Then start by making sure," Olivia replied.
Clara photographed her cheek at the hospital, wrote down Adrian's words, and asked Tessa to keep a copy of the threatening text. Filing a report felt humiliating; not filing one felt dangerous. She chose the thing that kept a record.
At Tessa's small house, Emma finally slept. Clara sat on the kitchen floor because she could not bear to stand, her back against the cabinets. Tessa joined her without asking questions.
"I believed he'd come home and listen," Clara said. "I thought the second he saw Emma, he'd want the truth."
"What he does next is his responsibility. Not yours."
Clara's phone rang once and stopped. An unknown number had sent a photograph of Tessa's front porch, taken in the dark.
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Under the image were six words: NICE PLACE. IS THE BABY SLEEPING?
HE SLAPPED THE WOMAN WHO SAVED HIS BABY |
