Chapter 10 - CLAIRE WATCHED
Claire covered her face.
"I froze."
Adrian stared at her.
"My son was sinking."
"I know."
"And you stood there."
Claire cried.
She said Vanessa had told her the stroller would be empty.
When Vanessa pushed it, Claire assumed it was still part of the plan.
Then she heard Oliver cry.
She froze.
Maria ran past her.
"Why didn't you tell anyone afterward?" Maria asked.
Claire looked at Vanessa.
"Because she said if I talked, I would go down with her."
Police separated both sisters.
Vanessa asked for a lawyer.
Claire kept talking.
She said the plan began with the trust.
Vanessa believed Adrian would never give her access voluntarily.
So she wanted a crisis.
A dangerous employee.
A vulnerable child.
A future wife stepping in to "protect the family."
It would make guardianship look reasonable.
Then Claire said something worse.
"Tonight wasn't the first setup."
Adrian went still.
"What does that mean?"
Claire described a kitchen incident three weeks earlier.
Oliver's bottle had been found beside an open container of cleaning fluid.
Vanessa blamed Maria for leaving chemicals near baby supplies.
Maria had nearly been fired.
She remembered the humiliation.
She had cried in the pantry while Vanessa told Adrian Maria was becoming careless.
Claire whispered, "Vanessa moved the bottle."
Adrian closed his eyes.
Maria felt anger replace fear.
"What else?"
Claire said there had been a loose stair gate.
A missing medication syringe.
A stroller brake released on the driveway.
Every incident had pointed toward Maria.
Every time, Maria had blamed herself.
Then Claire said, "There's one more thing."
She looked at Adrian.
"Vanessa didn't choose Oliver's trust by accident."
Adrian frowned.
May you like
Claire whispered,
"She knew Isabella before you did."
