Chapter 2: The Woman Who Cried on Facebook
Detective Morgan didn't turn on her recorder immediately.
She studied me for several seconds, her eyes moving from the hospital band around my wrist to the bruises beginning to darken along my forearm.
“Before we discuss the camera,” she said, “I need you to tell me what happened in your own words. Start wherever you feel comfortable.””
I swallowed.
“Brianna came to my house around eleven. She wanted access to a trust account Ryan set up for our twins.””
“How much money?””
“One hundred and fifty thousand dollars.””
“Was she entitled to any of it?””
“No.””
“Did she have permission to access the account?””
“No.””
Detective Morgan opened her notebook.
“What happened when you refused?””
“She grabbed my phone. She demanded the password. Then she hit me.””
“Where?””
I looked down at my stomach.
“Twice. The second time, I fell against the kitchen island. I started bleeding.””
“Did she call an ambulance?””
“No.””
“What did she do?””
I could still hear Brianna's voice.
If you tell anyone I was here, you'll destroy Ryan's family.
“She left.””
Detective Morgan's expression tightened, but she didn't interrupt.
“Did anyone witness the assault?””
“My neighbor, Mrs. Alvarez, arrived afterward. She saw me on the floor. But the camera above the kitchen doorway may have recorded everything.””
“May have?””
“My husband installed it. I don't know whether it records continuously or only when it detects movement.””
“Who has access to the footage?””
“Ryan. Maybe me, if I can remember the account details.””
Detective Morgan closed the notebook.
“We'll request the footage through the appropriate channels. I want you to understand something, Mrs. Carter.
You don't have to prove everything today. Your medical records, the physical evidence, witness statements, and any recordings can all be important.””
I nodded, but my mind had already returned to Brianna's post.
“She lied about me,” I whispered.
Detective Morgan glanced at my phone.
“The Facebook post?””
“She says I fell. She says I became hysterical. She's making people believe I hurt myself.””
“Have you responded?””
“No.””
“Good. Don't contact her about the investigation, and don't argue with anyone online. Save anything she posts or sends you. Let us handle the evidence.””
The door opened before I could answer.
Ryan's mother, Patricia, entered wearing a cream-colored coat and carrying a bouquet of white roses.
Her face looked exhausted, but her eyes went straight to my phone.
“Oh, Emma. Thank goodness you're awake.””
She set the flowers down and leaned toward me as if she were about to embrace me.
I didn't move.
Patricia noticed.
Her arms slowly dropped.
“What's wrong, sweetheart?””
I looked at Detective Morgan.
“This is my mother-in-law, Patricia Carter.””
Patricia gave the detective a strained smile.
“I've been trying to keep our family together through this terrible misunderstanding.””
“Misunderstanding?”” I repeated.
Patricia pulled a chair closer to the bed.
“Emma, everyone is upset. Brianna is devastated. She's been crying all day.””
I stared at her.
“My babies were delivered prematurely because Brianna punched me.””
Patricia flinched at the word punched.
“You don't know that for certain.””
Detective Morgan's expression changed.
“Mrs. Carter, are you suggesting the injuries were caused by something other than the assault Emma has described?””
Patricia straightened.
“I'm saying Emma has always been emotional. Pregnancy can make people say things they don't mean.””
I felt the hospital blanket tighten beneath my fingers.
“I was bleeding on the floor.””
“And Brianna says she found you after you'd fallen.””
“She was the one who hit me!””
Patricia glanced toward the door, then lowered her voice.
“Please don't shout. People can hear you.””
The absurdity of it almost made me laugh.
I had two premature babies in intensive care, bruises across my body, and stitches beneath my hospital gown.
Patricia was worried about the volume of my voice.
Detective Morgan stood.
“Mrs. Carter, I need you to understand that this is an active investigation. If you have information about the incident, you may provide it to me. But I won't discuss the evidence with you here.””
Patricia's cheeks reddened.
“I'm only trying to protect my son.””
“Then you should let the investigation proceed.””
For the first time, Patricia looked directly at the detective.
“Are you accusing Brianna of a crime?””
“I'm gathering evidence.””
“She's never hurt anyone.””
I thought about the trust. The demand for the password. The broken glass.
“Maybe you should ask her why she needed the money so badly,” I said.
Patricia turned toward me.
“What does that mean?””
“Ask her what she owes.””
Her face went still.
It was a small reaction. Barely a second. But I saw it.
Detective Morgan saw it too.
“What does Brianna owe?”” she asked.
Patricia stood so quickly that her chair scraped against the floor.
“I don't know anything about her finances.””
“Then you won't mind if we ask her directly.””
Patricia picked up her handbag.
“This is exactly what I was afraid of. Emma, you're going to destroy your marriage over a family argument.””
I looked at the flowers.
“You brought roses to a hospital where my children are fighting to breathe, and the first thing you did was defend the woman who hurt them.””
Patricia's mouth opened.
No words came out.
She walked toward the door.
Before leaving, she turned back.
“Ryan will be devastated when he hears what you're saying about his sister.””
I met her eyes.
“Ryan already heard it from me.””
The door closed behind her.
Detective Morgan waited until her footsteps faded.
“Has your husband ever pressured you to give Brianna money?””
“No. Ryan has helped her before, but he stopped when she refused to explain where the money was going.””
“When did he stop?””
“About three months ago.””
“And that's when the conflict began?””
I nodded.
Detective Morgan wrote something down.
“Do you know what she intended to do with the trust money?””
“She said she needed it for an emergency. She wouldn't tell me what kind.””
“Did she mention a business, a debt, or anyone else?””
I closed my eyes, trying to remember every word.
“She said Ryan had promised to help her. But I know he didn't. He told me he would never take money from our children's trust to cover another one of her mistakes.””
Detective Morgan looked up.
“That may be important.””
After she left, a nurse arrived to take me to the neonatal unit.
They moved me carefully into a wheelchair. Every bump in the hallway sent pain through my abdomen, but I barely noticed.
I was going to see my children.
Sophie was so small that her hospital blanket seemed enormous around her. A thin tube helped her breathe, and tiny sensors covered her chest.
Lucas lay in the incubator beside her, his little fingers curled into fists.
I pressed my palm against the transparent wall.
“Hi, babies,” I whispered.
“I'm your mom.””
The nurse stood beside me.
“You can touch them through the opening. Very gently.””
I slipped one finger inside.
Sophie's hand closed around it.
The tears came immediately.
“I promise,” I whispered, “I'll keep you safe.””
For several minutes, the world narrowed to the soft rhythm of the monitors.
Then my phone vibrated in my lap.
A message from Ryan.
I'm at the airport. I'm taking the first flight home. Detective Morgan called me. I need you to know something before I arrive.
My heart began racing.
Another message appeared.
I checked the security account.
I stared at the screen.
Then the next message came through.
The camera recorded everything, Emma. But Brianna knew it was there.
I read the sentence twice.
Why would Brianna attack me beneath a camera she knew was recording?
May you like
Before I could answer, Ryan sent one final message.
She called me last night. She asked whether the camera was still connected to the cloud.
