Chapter 3 - The Empty Cradle and the Hidden Camera
Michael didn't realize that when Emily dragged herself across the floor, she hadn't just called 911.
The emergency dispatcher had kept the line open, recording every sound inside the house until the paramedics arrived.
The audio captured the distant sound of his friends laughing in the SUV, the heavy slam of the front door, and his own voice saying, “Women bleed after giving birth, Emily, don't make a scene.”
But that wasn't the piece of evidence that was currently destroying his reputation in the corporate world.
Emily had installed a high-definition security camera disguised as a small digital clock on the top shelf of the nursery weeks before giving birth.
She had done it because she noticed his growing erratic behavior and needed to ensure her son’s safety while she was resting.
The camera had recorded everything in crystal-clear quality.
It captured his expensive leather jacket, the sunglasses resting on his head, and the cold, mocking laugh he gave right before turning his back on his bleeding wife.
By Monday morning, that video had already been delivered to the board of directors at the logistics firm where Michael worked as a senior vice president.
His corporate email access was revoked while he was still driving home from the resort.
His company car’s GPS tracking had been used by the legal team to verify exactly when he crossed the state line to go party.
He sat on the edge of the mattress, his head in his hands, staring at the blank screen of his phone as a barrage of notification banners began to flood his screen.
Articles from local news blogs were already circulating online with his corporate headshot.
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The world he thought he controlled was spinning apart faster than he could breathe.
