Chapter 6
Vanessa did not answer.
Daniel held the bottle in his palm.
Small.
White.
Unmarked.
Four tablets inside.
He wanted to open it.
He stopped himself.
Evidence.
He had already touched enough.
He placed it carefully on the counter.
“Ethan, get your shoes.”
Vanessa stepped forward.
“Where are you going?”
“The hospital.”
“That is completely unnecessary.”
Daniel looked at her.
“You don’t get a vote.”
“Daniel, those could be anything.”
“Exactly.”
“They aren’t mine.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about.”
Ethan carried Sophie toward the foyer.
Daniel followed.
Vanessa blocked the door.
“Think.”
Daniel stopped.
“I am.”
“No, you’re panicking.”
“My son may have been drugged.”
“He has not been drugged.”
“You know that how?”
Vanessa hesitated.
Daniel’s eyes narrowed.
“That’s what I thought.”
She grabbed his arm.
He pulled away.
“Do not touch me.”
“You take him to the hospital and they will call social services.”
“Good.”
“Good?”
“Yes.”
“You want strangers investigating our family?”
“I want the truth.”
Vanessa laughed bitterly.
“You really think you’re going to come out of that looking innocent?”
Daniel stared at her.
She lowered her voice.
“You knew Ethan had anxiety.”
“I knew he had nightmares after his mother died.”
“And you refused therapy for a year.”
Daniel flinched.
That was true.
Rachel’s death had made Ethan cling to him.
Daniel had told himself Ethan just needed time.
By the time he finally agreed to counseling, Vanessa had already become deeply involved in their lives.
Vanessa saw his reaction.
“You ignored the signs long before I came into this house.”
Daniel said nothing.
“You left him with me because you couldn’t handle him.”
“That’s not true.”
“Isn’t it?”
Daniel looked toward Ethan.
The boy had heard every word.
His face had fallen.
Daniel immediately crouched.
“Ethan.”
The boy looked away.
“Son, none of this is because of you.”
Ethan whispered, “I’m difficult.”
Daniel felt as if someone had punched him.
“No.”
“Vanessa said—”
“I don’t care what Vanessa said.”
Daniel reached for him.
Ethan hesitated.
Then stepped closer.
Daniel held his son.
“You were grieving.”
His voice broke.
“You needed me.”
Ethan’s shoulders shook.
“And I should have been there more.”
Vanessa looked away.
Daniel stood.
“We’re leaving.”
Vanessa moved aside.
Maybe because she knew she could not stop him.
Maybe because she had another plan.
Daniel did not care.
He placed Sophie in her car seat.
Ethan climbed beside her.
Daniel put the bottle into a clean plastic bag without opening it.
Then he drove.
At the hospital, he told the emergency-room nurse the truth.
Possible unknown medication exposure.
Repeated stomach pain.
Possible intentional administration by an adult caregiver.
That last sentence changed everything.
Within minutes, Ethan was in an examination room.
A doctor came in.
Then another.
Blood tests.
Urine tests.
Questions.
Daniel stayed beside Ethan.
Sophie sat on his lap.
Daniel’s phone rang repeatedly.
Vanessa.
He ignored every call.
Then a text appeared.
You are destroying our family.
Daniel stared at it.
Another.
Think about what this will do to Sophie when she grows up.
Another.
I made mistakes, but I never harmed them.
Daniel took screenshots.
Then blocked her number.
Twenty minutes later, a hospital social worker entered.
“Mr. Mercer?”
Daniel stood.
“My name is Linda Harris. I’m part of the child protection team.”
Daniel’s stomach twisted.
“I understand.”
“We need to ask some questions.”
“Ask anything.”
She looked at Ethan.
“Some questions need to be asked privately.”
Daniel nodded.
“If that helps him.”
Ethan grabbed Daniel’s hand.
“No.”
Linda softened her voice.
“You’re not in trouble.”
“I want Dad.”
Daniel squeezed his hand.
“I’m right outside.”
Ethan shook his head.
“Don’t leave.”
Linda considered it.
“Okay. He can stay for now.”
She sat down.
“Ethan, do you know why your dad brought you here?”
Ethan nodded.
“The medicine.”
“Has Vanessa ever given you medicine?”
Ethan hesitated.
Daniel did not speak.
Finally, Ethan said, “She gave me vitamins.”
“When?”
“Before school.”
“Every day?”
“Sometimes.”
“What did they look like?”
“White.”
“Pills?”
“No. Powder.”
Daniel’s breathing stopped.
Linda continued calmly.
“How did you take the powder?”
“In juice.”
“Did you know it was there?”
Ethan shook his head.
“How do you know about it?”
“I saw her once.”
“When?”
“She thought I was upstairs.”
“What happened after you drank it?”
Ethan looked at Daniel.
“I got sleepy.”
Daniel gripped the arm of the chair.
“Anything else?”
“My stomach hurt.”
“Did you tell Vanessa?”
“Yes.”
“What did she say?”
Ethan swallowed.
“She said that was because I was a liar.”
Daniel turned his face away.
He could not let Ethan see his expression.
Linda asked more questions.
About the basement.
The strap.
Sophie.
The laundry room.
Ethan answered in a quiet voice.
Sometimes he corrected himself.
Sometimes he said he did not remember.
That made Daniel believe him even more.
He was not performing.
He was trying to survive the memory.
After the interview, Linda stepped outside with Daniel.
Sophie slept against his shoulder.
“What happens now?”
“We’ve made a mandatory report.”
Daniel nodded.
“Police?”
“They may be contacted depending on the hospital findings.”
“Can I take my children home?”
Linda looked uncomfortable.
“Possibly.”
“Possibly?”
“We need to determine whether the home is safe.”
“Vanessa won’t be there.”
“How can you guarantee that?”
Daniel hesitated.
“She lives there.”
“Exactly.”
“I’ll change the locks.”
“Do that.”
“I’ll hire security.”
“That may help.”
Daniel lowered his voice.
“Are you saying I could lose my children?”
“I’m saying we need to make sure they’re safe.”
“They are safe with me.”
Linda studied him.
“I believe you want them to be.”
The words hurt.
Daniel understood why she chose them.
Wanting was not enough.
He had wanted to be a good father for years.
Yet Ethan had been terrified in his own house.
Daniel looked through the window at his son.
“What else do I need to do?”
“Cooperate.”
“I will.”
“Do not contact Vanessa to argue.”
“Fine.”
“Do not destroy or alter evidence.”
“I won’t.”
“If she comes to the hospital, let security handle it.”
Daniel nodded.
Then the doctor approached.
His expression was serious.
“Mr. Mercer.”
Daniel’s heart started racing.
“Did you find something?”
“We found a sedative in Ethan’s system.”
Daniel felt the hallway tilt.
“What?”
“A low concentration.”
“Is he okay?”
“Yes. He’s stable.”
“What kind?”
The doctor named it.
Daniel did not recognize the drug.
“Would it cause stomach pain?”
“It can.”
“Sleepiness?”
“Yes.”
Daniel leaned against the wall.
“How did he get it?”
“We can’t determine that from the test.”
“But it was there.”
“Yes.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
Proof.
Real proof.
Someone had given Ethan medication.
The doctor continued.
“There’s something else.”
Daniel opened his eyes.
“What?”
“The amount in his system suggests recent exposure.”
“How recent?”
“Likely today.”
Daniel stared through the window.
Ethan had eaten breakfast.
Daniel had been traveling home.
Vanessa had been with him.
His voice became quiet.
“She gave it to him this morning.”
The doctor did not answer.
He did not need to.
Daniel’s phone buzzed.
A new message came through from an unknown number.
He opened it.
A photograph.
His house.
Taken from across the street.
Then a message beneath it.
You should have listened to your wife.
Daniel’s blood ran cold.
May you like
A second message appeared.
Because now everyone is going to know what you did to Rachel.
