Chapter 1 - The Paramedic's Warning
The paramedic’s eyes flicked from my husband back to me.
His grip on my arm was tight, steadying me as the room seemed to tilt.
"Listen to me carefully," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the mechanical beeping of Addie's monitor.
"Your husband is the one who did this to the Mitchell boy last month."
My mind blanked.
The Mitchell boy.
A four-year-old from three streets over had nearly drowned in his bathtub while his stepfather was supposedly watching him.
The neighborhood had buzzed with the tragedy, passing around casseroles and whispered rumors, but no one had ever suspected Luke.
I looked back at my husband, who was still standing in the doorway, his calm, pleasant expression completely undisturbed.
"What are you talking about?" I managed to choke out.
The paramedic leaned in closer, his jaw tense.
"I was the first responder on that call, ma'am. He was there. He claimed he was just visiting, but I saw the way he looked. The exact same way he looks right now."
A cold, heavy dread settled in my stomach, replacing the initial shock of finding Addie.
Luke hadn't just neglected our daughter; he had intentionally hurt her.
And if this paramedic was right, he had done it before.
Before I could process the horrifying implication, the other paramedic, the one tending to Addie, yelled out.
"Her sats are dropping! We need to move her, now!"
I broke away from the first paramedic and lunged toward the couch.
Addie's small chest was barely rising, her lips a terrifying shade of blue.
"We're taking her to County General," the first paramedic said, his voice returning to its professional, authoritative volume.
He looked pointedly at me. "You ride with us. He stays."
Luke finally moved, stepping into the center of the room.
"I'll follow in my car," he said smoothly, reaching for his keys on the counter.
"No," the paramedic said sharply. "Police protocol for pediatric emergencies. Only one parent in the rig."
Luke's smile finally faltered, just for a fraction of a second, but it was enough.
"I'll see you at the hospital, honey," he said to me, his voice devoid of any real concern.
I scrambled into the back of the ambulance, my eyes fixed on Addie's pale face.
May you like
As the doors slammed shut and the siren wailed, I realized the terrifying truth.
I wasn't just riding in an ambulance; I was fleeing a crime scene, and the perpetrator was my own husband.
