Chapter 2 - The Stolen Truth
The sound of my phone shattering echoed loudly through the quiet hospital wing.
I dropped to my knees, desperately trying to salvage the broken pieces of glass and plastic.
"That was the proof!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.
Officer Elliott and Officer Peters rushed over, placing their hands on their utility belts.
Brandon immediately stepped in front of me, playing the role of the tragic, concerned husband.
"She's been hallucinating all week, officers," he lied with alarming ease.
Evelyn walked up and gently placed a comforting hand on her son's shoulder.
"Samantha has been talking to herself and hiding things around the house," Evelyn added while wiping a fake tear.
I looked frantically between the police officers and my lying family members.
"They did it!" I cried out, pointing a trembling finger at Brandon.
"He wasn't in Phoenix, he was in the kitchen watching her eat the magnets!" I pleaded.
Officer Elliott looked down at the crushed phone and then back up at me with profound pity.
"Ma'am, we checked your husband's flight records when we arrived," the officer stated firmly.
"He boarded a flight to Phoenix yesterday morning and just flew back two hours ago," he continued.
My mind started spinning in absolute confusion.
How could he be on a flight and in my kitchen at the same time?
Brandon pulled a stack of printed medical documents from his briefcase and handed them to the police.
"These are her psychiatric evaluations from last year," Brandon whispered, though loud enough for me to hear.
"She suffers from severe Munchausen syndrome by proxy," he declared.
The officers' expressions instantly hardened into stone.
"Samantha Hayes, you are being detained for suspected child endangerment," Officer Peters announced.
He grabbed my arms roughly and forced them behind my back.
The cold metal of the handcuffs clicked tightly around my wrists.
I thrashed and fought, screaming Nancy's name as they dragged me toward the elevator.
As the elevator doors began to close, Brandon stepped right up to the gap.
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He leaned in close, smiling a wicked, twisted smile.
"Don't worry, honey, Nancy won't survive the night," he whispered.
