Chapter 3 - The Cover Up
The photograph slipped through my trembling fingers and landed face down on the sterile hospital floor.
The woman who had just stood in my son's hospital room wearing my stolen jewelry had been the one who nearly killed him.
"Are you absolutely certain about this vehicle?" I asked the detective, my voice barely more than a hollow whisper.
Detective Harris nodded slowly, retrieving the photograph and placing it back inside his official folder.
"We traced the registration directly to her home address, and units are on their way to question her now," he confirmed.
He asked me a few routine questions about my relationship with Rachel, taking careful notes of my responses.
I told him everything about Grant's obsession with her and the birthday party they were attending during the accident.
Once the detective left, a cold, calculated clarity washed over my entire body.
Grant had known exactly whose car hit Eli.
That was the only logical reason he had ignored forty-seven desperate phone calls from his wife.
He was not just ignoring me to enjoy a party, he was actively helping his mistress manufacture an alibi.
He even diverted the emergency blood supply away from the trauma center to ensure Eli's survival was compromised.
I picked up my phone and called Grant, needing to hear his voice when I confronted him with the truth.
He answered on the second ring, his tone steeped in arrogant annoyance.
"Are you ready to apologize for embarrassing Rachel in front of the nurses?" he demanded.
"The police just left Eli's room with traffic camera footage from the intersection," I said smoothly.
The line went completely dead silent for five agonizing seconds.
"I have no idea what you are talking about," Grant finally stammered, his confident facade shattering instantly.
"They are arresting Rachel right now for attempted vehicular manslaughter," I told him, relishing the panic in his breathing.
I expected him to deny it again, or perhaps try to shift the blame to a misunderstanding.
Instead, his voice dropped an octave, turning into a low, threatening growl I had never heard before.
"You listen to me very carefully, Mara," he hissed through the phone.
"If you let the police take Rachel away from her sick daughter, I will destroy your life."
I laughed bitterly, looking at my sleeping boy who had almost paid the ultimate price for this man's secrets.
"You have nothing left to threaten me with, Grant," I fired back.
"Check your banking app," he replied coldly.
I pulled the phone away from my ear, opening my primary financial application on the home screen.
May you like
Every single joint account, savings fund, and emergency credit line we owned showed a balance of absolute zero.
"I froze every asset you have, Mara, including Eli's private health insurance policy," Grant whispered through the speaker.
