Chapter 2 - The Architect of Ruin
The realization hit me harder than any physical blow.
Victoria hadn't just made a mistake at the pool; she had built a web.
She had falsified medical records, bribed witnesses, and crafted a narrative of me as an unstable, negligent mother.
The woman from CPS wasn't just doing her job; she was part of a machine that Victoria had clearly paid to run.
“You have no proof,” I said, my voice steady despite the adrenaline surging through my veins.
“The labs show the drug in Jackson’s system,” the woman countered, tapping her clipboard. “And we have statements from the staff at Oakhaven stating that you were the one who brought the 'supplements' to the club.”
I felt a cold rage settle over me.
Victoria had swapped my son’s actual vitamins for these tranquilizers before he even left the house.
She had played the long game.
“Jackson is in critical condition because of your negligence,” Detective Vance said, though he didn't meet my eyes.
“You are under investigation for child endangerment.”
I didn't cry.
I looked at my son, lying still and hooked to a forest of machines.
I had been a single mother, working two jobs, stretching every dollar.
I was the easy target.
But Victoria didn't know who I was before I became a mother.
She didn't know that I had spent years in corporate law before I left to care for Jackson.
I knew how to read a warrant.
I knew how to handle a fraudulent investigation.
“I want a lawyer,” I said.
“And I want an independent toxicology review from a lab not affiliated with this county.”
The woman in the gray suit smiled, a thin, cruel expression.
“It’s too late for that, Ms. Jessica.”
“The warrant is active.”
I watched as they moved toward Jackson’s bed, ready to take him into state custody.
I had been backed into a corner, but I had one advantage: I knew Victoria’s ego was her fatal flaw.
She wanted to watch me suffer, and that meant she would be nearby.
I didn't stop them.
I let them move my son, but as they did, I reached out and grabbed the Detective’s arm.
“You’re making a mistake,” I whispered.
“Victoria isn't the victim.”
“She’s the dealer.”
Vance finally looked at me, a flicker of doubt crossing his face.
May you like
I knew then that I had a crack in the wall.
Now, I just needed to tear it down.
