Chapter 1: The Truth Beneath the Blanket
I slowly folded the blanket back.
A sharp gasp escaped my throat.
Dark purple bruises covered Megan's calves and ankles. One of her feet was badly swollen, and angry red marks circled her wrists.
"What... happened?" I whispered.
Tears rolled silently down her cheeks.
Before she could answer, my mother stepped forward.
"She probably fell," she said with a shrug. "Pregnant women are clumsy."
Megan flinched at the sound of her voice.
That tiny movement told me everything.
I looked at my wife.
"Did someone do this to you?"
She closed her eyes.
"I didn't want you to lose your family."
My heart pounded.
"Megan... who?"
Her trembling finger slowly pointed toward my mother.
The room went completely silent.
"She's lying," my mother snapped immediately. "She's trying to turn you against me."
But for the first time, I wasn't looking at my mother.
I was watching Megan.
She wasn't angry.
She wasn't trying to win.
She looked terrified.
That was when I finally realized who had been telling the truth all along.
I picked up my phone.
"I'm calling an ambulance."
My mother's face changed instantly.
"No! That's not necessary."
I looked directly into her eyes.
"Yes, it is."
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And for the first time in my life...
My mother looked afraid.
