Chapter 5 - The White Bottle
Emily turned toward Sarah.
“Why did you lock the door?”
“For privacy.”
“We’re alone.”
Sarah placed her handbag on the sink and removed the white bottle.
There was no label.
No safety seal.
Nothing to identify what it contained.
Emily stepped backward.
“I don’t want that near me.”
Sarah twisted the cap.
“It’s a mild chemical peel.”
“At nine months pregnant?”
“Eight months.”
“That doesn’t make it safe.”
Sarah rolled her eyes.
“Everything is dangerous according to you lately.”
Emily reached for the lock.
Sarah caught her wrist.
“Don’t embarrass Michael tonight.”
“Let go of me.”
“You’re going to sit down, let me fix the discoloration on your cheek, and then you’re going to sign the trust documents.”
Emily pulled free.
“I’m not signing anything.”
Sarah’s face changed.
The pleasant sister-in-law disappeared.
“You really believe you have a choice?”
“Yes.”
“You’re carrying a Carter heir.”
“Michael isn’t the father.”
The words burst out before Emily could stop them.
Sarah stared at her.
Then she laughed.
Not nervously.
Not defensively.
With genuine amusement.
“Oh, Emily.”
“What?”
“You still think this is about Michael?”
A chill moved through Emily.
Sarah held the bottle loosely at her side.
“Whose child am I carrying?”
“You’ll learn when the family decides you’re ready.”
“I’m the mother.”
“You’re the carrier.”
Emily’s stomach tightened painfully.
She gripped the edge of the sink.
Sarah watched her.
“Careful. Stress isn’t good for the baby.”
“You drugged me.”
“We saved you from a life of mediocrity.”
“You used me.”
“You married into one of the most powerful medical families in the country. You live in a penthouse. You’ve never paid a bill since the wedding.”
“I didn’t ask for any of this.”
“No. You asked for Michael.”
Sarah stepped closer.
“And Michael needed someone ordinary.”
“Why?”
“Because ordinary women are grateful.”
Emily looked toward the vent.
Sarah followed her gaze.
“What are you looking at?”
“Nothing.”
Sarah placed the bottle on the sink.
Then she dragged a small stool beneath the vent.
Emily’s pulse accelerated.
Sarah climbed onto it and removed the cover.
The old phone fell into her hand.
For several seconds, she simply stared at it.
Then she looked down at Emily.
“Who have you been calling?”
Emily remained silent.
Sarah climbed off the stool.
She turned on the phone.
There were no saved messages. No visible call history. Ashley had taught Emily how to erase everything after each use.
But a new message appeared on the lock screen.
Ashley: I found the blanket.
Sarah read it.
Her face went pale.
She called Michael immediately.
He answered on the first ring.
“Ashley has it,” she said.
Emily could hear Michael’s voice through the phone.
“What?”
“The blanket. He has it.”
“Where is Emily?”
“In the bathroom.”
“Don’t let her leave.”
Sarah looked at Emily.
“I wasn’t planning to.”
Michael’s voice became lower.
“I’m coming home.”
The call ended.
Sarah slipped the old phone into her handbag.
Emily’s mind raced.
Ashley had found the blanket.
That meant the evidence still existed.
But Sarah now knew.
She would warn hospital security.
She would destroy whatever else remained.
Emily pressed a hand to her stomach and inhaled sharply.
Sarah looked at her.
“What’s wrong?”
“Cramp.”
“Sit down.”
“I need water.”
“You can have water after Michael gets here.”
Emily bent forward and allowed her knees to shake.
Sarah hesitated.
The pregnancy made Emily physically vulnerable, but it also gave her one advantage.
Sarah did not want the baby harmed.
Not yet.
Emily groaned and lowered herself toward the floor.
Sarah grabbed her arm.
“Don’t be dramatic.”
“It hurts.”
“Where?”
“My side.”
Sarah leaned closer.
Emily reached for the sink, knocked the white bottle to the floor and kicked it beneath the cabinet.
Sarah cursed and dropped to her knees.
Emily moved toward the door.
But Sarah caught the back of her dress.
The fabric tore.
Emily struck the wall with one shoulder.
Sarah stood and seized her chin.
“You stupid woman.”
Emily clawed at her wrist.
“Let go.”
Sarah forced her backward.
“You have no idea what this family has sacrificed for that child.”
A key turned in the apartment door.
Michael had returned.
Sarah smiled.
“Now you’re going to listen.”
Emily looked toward the fallen white bottle.
The cap had come loose.
A drop of clear liquid landed on the bathroom mat.
May you like
The fibers darkened immediately.
This was not a cosmetic treatment.
