Chapter 2 - Confronting the House of Cards
Taylor marched toward us, her heels clicking sharply against the concrete driveway. Her face wore that familiar look of cold superiority she had perfected during our final months together.
“Put her down, Lucas. You’re scaring her. What are you even doing in the garage?” Taylor snapped, stopping a few feet away.
I didn't move. I held Lily tighter against my chest, feeling the faint, slow rhythm of her heartbeat.
“Open your eyes, Taylor,” I said, my voice trembling with suppressed fury.
“What are you talking about?” She frowned, finally noticing the way Lily was shivering, her face pale, her lips tinged with blue. Taylor’s gaze flicked past me, toward the open garage, and then landed on the white chest freezer against the wall.
For a microsecond, color drained from Taylor’s face. A flicker of raw, undeniable guilt crossed her eyes before she masked it behind an aggressive wall of defense.
“Oh, God, did she wander into the garage and climb in there while you were snooping around?” Taylor accused, stepping forward and pointing a finger at me. “Typical! You can't watch her for five minutes without something happening! That’s why you lost custody rights in the primary agreement—because you're reckless!”
The sheer audacity of her lie hit me like a physical blow.
“She didn't wander in here, Taylor,” I said, stepping off the curb toward her. “The lid of that freezer has a heavy latch. A six-year-old child cannot pull it open from the inside once it drops. Someone put her in there.”
“Don't be absurd!” Taylor shrieked, her voice rising in panic. “Are you accusing me? Or Mother? That freezer is just for storage! We keep extra meat in there!”
“Mommy, it's cold,” Lily whimpered, burying her face deeper into my neck. “Grandma closed it. It was dark.”
Taylor froze. She looked down at Lily, then back at me. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. The defensive armor cracked, exposing the complicit coward underneath.
“You knew,” I whispered, stepping right up to her face. “You watched your own mother lock your daughter inside a deep freezer, and you let her do it.”
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Before Taylor could stammer out another excuse, a second set of headlights pulled onto the street. A dark SUV glided silently to a halt behind Taylor's car.
Evelyn stepped out of the driver's seat, holding a takeout bag from an upscale bistro, looking as serene and unbothered as if she were stepping out of Sunday Mass.
