“I Woke Up in the Hospital—Then My 4-Year-Old Exposed My Husband”

The woman in the boathouse wasn't Serena.

Up close, Madeline saw the differences immediately.

Same dark hair. Same height. Same narrow face.

But older.

The woman was zip-tied to a chair.

Ruiz cut her loose.

"My name is Celia Blake," she gasped. "I'm Serena's sister."

Madeline had never heard of her.

Celia laughed bitterly when she saw Madeline's expression.

"Yeah. Serena erased me from her life after I went to rehab. Can't blame her."

"Why are you here?"

"Because Preston paid me to scare her. Then he decided I knew too much."

Ruiz leaned closer. "Where is Poppy?"

"I don't know. But Preston has another place. An old hunting cabin near Gray Ridge. His mother owns it through a company."

Madeline turned to Ruiz. "Evelyn."

Celia nodded. "She's the one who handles the paperwork. Preston handles people."

The room seemed to tilt again.

Evelyn hadn't merely covered for her son.

She was part of it.

Celia told them Preston had used her to purchase medications under false names. Serena discovered the scheme after finding Celia's messages on his phone.

"Serena tried to get out," Celia said. "He told her he'd make it look like she poisoned you. She panicked. She kept giving you tiny doses because she thought stopping suddenly would expose her."

Madeline wanted to hate Serena.

Part of her did.

But another part heard the fear in that explanation and recognized the cage.

Ruiz's phone buzzed.

A hospital nurse had found Serena's IV line cut and a bloody bandage in a stairwell. Security footage showed a woman in a nurse's coat pushing her out in a wheelchair.

Evelyn.

Then Madeline received a video message.

Poppy filled the screen.

She sat in a wooden room with her rabbit in her lap.

"Mommy," she whispered, "Daddy says you're sick."

Behind the camera, Preston said, "Tell Mommy what she has to do."

Poppy looked off-screen.