Chapter 1 - The Escape
I held Liam tightly against my chest, his small body shivering uncontrollably in my soaked arms.
The words he had just whispered echoed in my mind like a terrifying alarm.
Grandpa put a pill in my juice.
I didn’t wait for my father or my sister to realize what I was doing.
I shoved past the shocked wedding guests, carrying my son toward the side gate of the estate.
“Hey, you get back here!” Richard roared from the patio.
“You’re not ruining my reputation with your dramatic lies!”
I didn't look back, my bare feet slamming against the cold cobblestones of the driveway.
My silk dress clung heavily to my legs, leaving a trail of pool water behind us.
I reached my car, threw open the back door, and buckled Liam into his booster seat with trembling hands.
His eyes were rolling back slightly, and his skin felt clammy to the touch.
“Stay awake, baby, just look at Mommy,” I pleaded, my voice cracking with panic.
I slammed the door shut and jumped into the driver’s seat.
In the rearview mirror, I saw Richard marching aggressively down the driveway, his fists clenched at his sides.
Chloe was right behind him, still wearing her drenched rehearsal dress and screaming something I couldn’t hear.
I slammed my foot on the gas pedal, the tires screeching as I tore out of the estate gates.
My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.
I grabbed my phone from the center console with one hand and dialed 911.
“911, what is your emergency?” the dispatcher answered calmly.
“My father drugged my eight-year-old son, and my sister just tried to drown him,” I yelled into the speakerphone.
“I’m driving him to Mercy General Hospital right now.”
The dispatcher’s tone shifted immediately to high alert.
“Ma’am, keep driving safely, I am notifying the emergency room to prepare for your arrival.”
“I’m sending police units to the hospital to meet you.”
I hung up and focused purely on the road, running two red lights in my desperation.
Liam’s breathing was becoming shallow in the back seat.
May you like
Whatever pill Richard had slipped into his drink, it was working far too fast.
I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white, silently swearing that I would destroy them both.
