Chapter 2 - Lights and Sirens
David stared at the blank screen of his phone.
His hands were shaking violently.
He looked at me as if I had just morphed into a ghost.
"You..." he stammered, pointing a trembling finger at me.
"You're Arthur Sterling's daughter?"
I didn't answer him.
Another cramp ripped through my abdomen, causing me to curl into a tight ball on the cold tile.
Sylvia grabbed her son's arm, her perfectly manicured nails digging into his expensive shirt.
"David, do something!" she hissed frantically.
"He's bluffing."
"He has to be bluffing!"
"She's a nobody!"
"She probably hired an actor to scare us!"
David didn't look so sure.
The smug arrogance that had defined his entire personality was completely gone.
Before he could utter another word, a sound shattered the quiet suburban night.
Sirens.
Not just one.
Multiple sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder by the second.
Red and blue lights suddenly flashed through the kitchen window, illuminating the dark room in a frantic rhythm.
Tires screeched as heavy vehicles slammed into the driveway.
Doors slammed shut.
Heavy boots pounded against the concrete walkway.
"Oh my god," David whispered, taking a step backward.
"He wasn't bluffing."
Someone pounded on the front door with enough force to rattle the hinges.
"State Police!" a booming voice shouted.
"Open the door immediately!"
David couldn't move.
His feet were glued to the floor.
The guests in the dining room began to scream in panic.
Before David could even think about walking to the foyer, the front door was kicked open.
The splintering of wood echoed through the house.
Half a dozen heavily armed officers poured into the hallway.
Their flashlights cut through the dim lighting as they swept the rooms.
"In the kitchen!" one of them yelled.
Two officers burst through the doorway, their hands resting on their holstered weapons.
They took one look at me lying on the floor, clutching my stomach in agony.
Then they looked at David and Sylvia standing over me.
"Step away from the victim!" the lead officer barked, pointing directly at my husband.
David raised his hands instantly, his face pale with terror.
"Officer, wait!" David pleaded, his voice cracking.
"I am an attorney!"
"This is a massive misunderstanding!"
"My wife is just having a difficult pregnancy!"
The officer didn't care.
He lunged forward, grabbed David by the collar of his expensive shirt, and slammed him against the refrigerator.
The holiday card fell to the floor, trampled under heavy black boots.
"You have the right to remain silent," the officer growled as he wrenched David's arms behind his back.
"Wait, what about me?" Sylvia shrieked, backing away toward the stove.
"I didn't do anything!"
A female officer grabbed Sylvia by the arm and spun her around.
"You're under arrest for aggravated assault on a pregnant woman," she stated coldly, snapping handcuffs onto Sylvia's wrists.
Paramedics rushed into the kitchen, dropping their heavy medical bags next to me.
"Ma'am, I need you to breathe," a paramedic said gently, placing an oxygen mask over my face.
"We are going to get you out of here right now."
As they lifted me onto the stretcher, I turned my head.
May you like
I watched as my husband and my mother-in-law were dragged out of the house in handcuffs.
Their Christmas dinner was officially over.
