Chapter 1 - THE DIRTY TOWEL
The filthy towel hit Sarah Mitchell square in the face.
Cold gray water ran down her cheek, soaked the collar of her T-shirt, and dripped onto the hardwood floor she had spent all morning cleaning.
For one full second, the living room went silent.
Linda Mitchell stood ten feet away with a satisfied little smile.
“There,” Linda said. “Now maybe you’ll remember what a clean house looks like.”
Sarah slowly pulled the towel away from her face.
She had cooked since six in the morning. She had cleaned three bathrooms, made two casseroles, baked cornbread, chased four-year-old Miles away from the hot stove, and set out folding chairs for people Jason had invited without asking her.
And now her mother-in-law had wiped juice off the floor and thrown the dirty rag at her like she was hired help.
Sarah turned toward her husband.
Jason stood beside his brother, arms hanging at his sides.
“Are you seriously going to let her do this?”
“That’s what I thought.”
Something inside Sarah finally broke.
She picked up the towel, crossed the room, and pressed the wet cloth against Linda’s mouth.
“If you love dirt so much,” Sarah said through clenched teeth, “you can have it.”
Linda shrieked and slapped her hands away.
That was when Jason moved.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he shouted at Sarah.
The words hurt more than the towel.
Sarah stared at the man she had slept beside for seven years and suddenly did not recognize him.
Then small footsteps sounded in the hallway.
Miles appeared holding Jason’s unlocked phone with both hands.
“Mommy?”
Sarah forced herself to breathe. “Yeah, baby?”
Miles looked confused.
“Why did Daddy tell Grandma you would be gone after today?”
Not anger.
Panic.
Sarah held out her hand.
“Miles,” she said softly, “bring me Daddy’s phone.”
May you like
Jason lunged first.
And that was when Sarah knew her son had just found something Jason was willing to fight to keep hidden.
