Chapter 5 - My Mother Lied for Five YearsThe Woman Who Stole My Son From Me
My mother answered on the third ring.
"Megan?"
Her voice sounded normal.
Almost cheerful.
"Mom."
A pause.
"You sound upset."
"Where are you?"
"At home."
"In Michigan?"
Another pause.
"Yes."
Roman stood across from me.
His lawyer had gone silent.
I could see his eyes telling me not to reveal what we knew.
"Mom, do you remember when Leo was born?"
Silence.
Then:
"Why?"
"Because I found a photograph of you at the hospital."
I heard her breathing change.
"Where did you get that?"
"Who authorized Leo's transfer into protective custody?"
The silence became absolute.
Then she whispered:
"Who is with you?"
I looked at Roman.
"My friend."
"Not a friend."
Her voice suddenly changed.
"Leave wherever you are."
"Mom..."
"Listen to me. Do not trust the Vale family."
Roman's expression hardened.
My mother continued.
"Especially Roman."
"What did he do?"
"He wasn't there."
"For what?"
"For the night Ethan died."
I gripped the phone.
"Mom, tell me the truth."
Another voice came through the phone.
Male.
My mother's breathing stopped.
Then I heard her say:
"Please."
The call ended.
Roman immediately made a gesture.
One of his men moved toward the door.
"She's in danger," I said.
Roman nodded.
"We'll send someone."
"No."
I stood.
"I'm going with you."
"You don't know what you're walking into."
"That's my mother."
"And that's exactly why they can use you."
I looked at him.
"You said you needed answers."
"I do."
"Then let's go."
An hour later, we were driving north.
The entire trip felt wrong.
Roman barely spoke.
I kept looking at Leo through the rearview camera.
He was sleeping.
Completely unaware that his life had just become the center of a war between two families.
When we reached my parents' house, the front door was open.
My mother was gone.
Blood stained the kitchen floor.
A chair lay overturned.
My father's old watch was broken beside the sink.
I screamed her name.
No answer.
Roman crouched beside the blood.
"Fresh."
I felt sick.
"Is she dead?"
"We don't know."
He pointed toward the hallway.
There was a trail of bloody footprints.
They stopped at the basement door.
Roman opened it.
Nothing.
Only darkness.
Then I heard a faint sound.
A phone vibrating.
Under the basement stairs.
Roman's man found it.
My mother's phone.
The screen was cracked.
There was one unsent message.
I opened it.
It read:
MEGAN, IF YOU'RE READING THIS, I MADE A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL TO KEEP YOU AND LEO ALIVE.
There was another line.
I FOUND OUT WHO KILLED ETHAN.
My hands trembled.
Then the screen lit up.
Incoming call.
The number was unknown.
Roman answered.
"Who is this?"
A man's voice came through.
"You should have left Megan alone."
Roman went still.
"Where is her mother?"
The man laughed.
"You're asking the wrong question."
"What do you want?"
"Leo."
I felt my whole body freeze.
"You have ten hours."
"Or?"
"Or Megan learns what really happened the night her son was born."
The line went dead.
Roman looked at me.
I couldn't breathe.
"What did he mean?"
Roman didn't answer.
Then something moved behind us.
A shadow.
One of Roman's men spun around.
A gunshot cracked through the basement.
The light exploded.
Leo screamed upstairs.
I ran.
Roman grabbed me.
"Don't!"
But I had already heard the most terrifying sound in the world.
May you like
My son's voice.
"Mama!"
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