CHAPTER 2 — The Woman in Our House
CHAPTER 2 — The Woman in Our House
The house looked the same when we arrived.
Too normal.
Too peaceful.
A house that had no idea it was about to become evidence.
Lily stayed upstairs with the nanny.
I stood in the living room alone.
Waiting.
At 58 minutes, the front door opened.
Ethan walked in first.
Vanessa followed behind him.
Still composed.
Still confident.
Still wearing the same diamond earrings.
Ethan sighed. “Rachel, this is ridiculous. We can talk—”
“No,” I interrupted.
I looked at Vanessa.
“On your knees.”
Silence.
Vanessa blinked. “Excuse me?”
I stepped forward slightly.
“You touched my child,” I said calmly. “Now you will apologize to her.”
Ethan frowned. “Rachel, stop this—”
“You chose her,” I said without looking at him.
Now I looked at Vanessa.
“You don’t get to stand in my house after what you did.”
Vanessa gave a small, nervous laugh.
“She’s exaggerating,” she said to Ethan. “I trimmed the child’s hair. It wasn’t even—”
I walked to the coffee table and placed my phone down.
“I’ve already sent the school footage to child services,” I said.
A pause.
“And the medical report.”
Vanessa’s face changed slightly.
Ethan stiffened. “Medical report?”
“Yes,” I said.
May you like
“The scratches on her scalp.”
The silence became heavier.
