Chapter 6 - The Poisoned Family
By noon, news of Margaret Morgan’s arrest had spread through the extended Morgan family like wildfire.
In Rachel’s private room on the maternity floor, the atmosphere was quiet and peaceful. Rachel was propped up on three pillows, watching a morning home improvement show on the small wall TV while Daniel carefully fed her small pieces of fresh fruit.
Suddenly, the heavy door swung open.
In walked Daniel’s elder brother, Richard, and his sister, Evelyn. Both were dressed in expensive business attire, their faces twisted into expressions of intense, aggressive annoyance.
"Daniel! What the hell have you done?!" Richard barked, stepping into the room without greeting either of them. "Mom is sitting in a central holding cell at the magistrate court! Her bail hasn't been set, and the local news is already reporting on her mugshot!"
Evelyn marched up to the foot of Rachel’s bed, crossing her arms, looking down at Rachel with deep disdain. "Are you happy now, Rachel? You've officially humiliated our entire family over a stupid domestic argument!"
Daniel stood up slowly from his chair. The quiet, timid son who had spent years trying to keep the peace in his family was gone. In his place stood a husband and father whose eyes held an intimidating, razor-sharp edge.
"Get out of this room," Daniel said softly.
Richard scoffed, stepping closer. "Don't take that tone with me, little brother. You need to go down to the precinct right now and tell the prosecutor that Rachel made a mistake. Tell them it was an accident! Mom is sixty-four years old! She can't stay in jail!"
"Mom pushed my wife down concrete stairs, Richard," Daniel said, his voice terrifyingly steady. "She broke Rachel’s leg in two places. She left her bleeding in a dark cellar for four hours, and then threatened to steal our baby if she told anyone. The doctors said Rachel almost died of sepsis."
Evelyn rolled her eyes, waving her hand dismissively. "Oh, please! Rachel has always been dramatic! She probably tripped because she’s clumsy and overweight from the pregnancy! Mom would never push anyone!"
"We have the notarized document, Evelyn," Daniel revealed, pulling a photocopy from his pocket and throwing it against Richard’s chest. "We found the agreement Mom signed three weeks ago, where she tried to force Rachel to sign away custody of my son. And the police found Rachel’s blood on Mom’s cellar floor."
Richard caught the paper, his eyes scanning the notarized text. As he read his mother’s signature and the explicit clauses attempting to seize custody of Daniel’s child, the angry color in his face slowly drained, replaced by a pale, stunned silence.
"She... she drafted this three weeks ago?" Richard whispered, looking at his sister.
"Mom planned it, Richard," Daniel said, his voice filled with a painful, heavy truth. "She invited Rachel over with a fake story about a crib, locked her down there, and tried to destroy her life. And while Rachel was lying in our bed rotting for three weeks, Mom was calling me every night, convincing me that Rachel was lying to me."
Evelyn swallowed hard, looking at Rachel’s heavy leg cast and the IV lines running into her arm. For the first time, a flicker of doubt and shame crossed Evelyn’s face. "Daniel... we... we didn't know about this document..."
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"I don't care what you knew," Daniel said, pointing a firm finger toward the door. "If either of you ever try to defend her to me again, or if you ever come near my wife and son again, you are dead to me. Leave."
Richard looked at the document in his hand, then at his brother's cold, unwavering face. He grabbed Evelyn’s arm, pulled her toward the door, and walked out without saying another word.
