Chapter 2
When Frank and Ashley finally showed up, I
was on my knees in the living room, carefully
dusting a photo of Danny.
My touch was so gentle, I was afraid of
hurting him.
In the picture, Danny was beaming, his eyes
crinkled in a crescent moon smile.
I’d sworn to protect that smile forever, to
shield him from every bit of cruelty this world
could throw at him.
く
Turns out, the person who held the most
malice towards him… was the person he
loved most. The man he thought loved him
best.
Ashley, face pale and voice sharp, demanded,
“Sarah, where’s Mikey? What have you done
with him?”
I didn’t answer. I just kept dusting.
Ashley’s voice went up another notch.
04
“Sarah, give me back Mikey! Don’t make me
call the cops!”
“You kidnap a kid, you think you can be Mrs.
Sterling or even have a spot in our circle!”
Г
Mrs. Sterling? They killed my baby, and they
thought I still wanted that.
I looked up, a dangerous glint in my eye.
“Your son’s missing, so you come ask me. My
son’s gone forever. Who do I ask to get him
back?”
Ashley was quick, and guilty. She’s always
been that way, which made her suspicious so
she froze.
Frank, though clearly rattled, still thought he
had everything under control. He probably
wanted to keep me from hurting Mikey.
“Sarah, Mikey’s innocent. Don’t take your
anger out on the kid.”
r
“Danny’s gone, and I’m crushed too. But you
can’t kidnap Mikey to show Ashley how it
feels.”
“Just tell me where he is. This is life or
death.”
His words felt like my heart was getting
ripped out.
I clutched Danny’s photo to my chest, trying
to fill the hole.
I forced a bitter laugh. “Life or death?”
My voice was icy. “Your son’s been missing
for a few hours, and that’s life or death?
“My Danny was killed in an accident and had
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his heart ripped out.”
“What is life or death? That’s life or death.”
Frank’s face went white.
His eyes darted around, avoiding mine, and
his voice went hard.
“What are you talking about? The report said
he died of blood loss.”
“I won’t let you say he didn’t rest peacefully!”
“Blood loss…” I repeated, “Was it really blood
loss?”
Ashley, always on the edge, spoke quickly,
trying to sound casual.
“The doctor said so. Are you gonna start
making stuff up?”
“Stop being crazy and give me Mikey back!”
I ignored her and looked at Frank, a deep
sadness in my eyes.
“I dream about Danny every night. He’s
crying, begging me to help him. He says his
chest hurts, someone ripped his heart out…”
I stared into Frank’s soul.
“Who would be cruel enough to steal a child’s
heart?
“You’re his dad. He loved you, relied on you.
Didn’t he cry to you?”
L
Sweat beaded on Frank’s forehead, and his
voice shook.
“Honey, you’re grieving. We should get away
when things calm down, okay?”
“Grieving? You’re going to gaslight me after
this?
“You had my son hurt and you and the doctor
made sure I was lied to!”
“You stole my son’s heart and gave it to your
son with Ashley!”
“You think I don’t know?”
I threw all the evidence at Frank.
