Chapter 2: What Was Living Beneath the Cast
Chapter 2: What Was Living Beneath the Cast
Daniel barely had time to react before Evelyn knelt beside Noah's bed.
"I'm not trying to hurt him," she said quietly. "I'm trying to find out why he's terrified."
Noah grabbed her sleeve with trembling fingers.
"It's moving again," he whispered. "Please... hurry."
The room fell silent except for the steady beeping of the heart monitor.
Marissa folded her arms. "If you damage that cast, my husband will sue you."
Evelyn didn't even look at her.
She switched on the cast saw, its soft vibration filling the room.
"It's designed to cut plaster, not skin," she explained calmly to Daniel. "If your son is telling the truth, we'll know in sixty seconds."
Daniel hesitated.
Every instinct told him to stop her.
But another voice—one he hadn't listened to since his first wife died—told him to trust his son.
"Do it."
Marissa's face drained of color.
The blade glided through the plaster.
White dust floated into the air.
Noah squeezed his eyes shut.
The cast split open.
Then something black wriggled between the padding.
A nurse screamed.
A large centipede dropped onto the hospital floor, twisting violently before another crawled out from deeper inside the cast.
Then another.
Three in total.
The room erupted in chaos.
One nurse jumped onto a chair while another crushed the insects with a metal tray.
Daniel stared in horror.
His son's arm was covered in dozens of tiny bite marks, angry red welts spreading across swollen skin.
Noah burst into tears.
"I told you..."
Daniel dropped to his knees.
"Oh God... Noah..."
Evelyn carefully peeled away the remaining padding.
Hidden beneath the soft cotton was a tiny mesh pouch taped directly against Noah's skin.
She lifted it with sterile forceps.
Inside were several insect eggs, still warm.
Someone had intentionally placed them there before the cast hardened.
Daniel's hands began shaking uncontrollably.
"Who would do this?"
No one answered.
Because everyone in the room had already turned toward Marissa.
She forced a laugh.
"This is insane. The hospital must have made a mistake."
But Evelyn wasn't watching Marissa.
She was staring at the tape securing the pouch.
"I've seen this tape before."
Daniel looked up.
"Where?"
Evelyn's expression darkened.
"In your house."
Silence crashed over the room.
Then Marissa slowly stepped backward.
"I... I need some air."
She turned toward the door.
Daniel's voice stopped her cold.
"Nobody leaves."
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For the first time since marrying into the Vale family...
Marissa looked genuinely afraid.
