PART8-My 10-Year-Old Daughter’s Pregnancy Test Came Back Positive—Then Her Father Pointed at My Husband and Said, “Arrest Him”
PART 8
Sophie woke just after midnight.
Her eyes opened slowly.
“Mom?”
I was beside her immediately.
“I’m here.”
She smiled weakly.
“Did they find the baby?”
My heart broke.
“No baby, sweetheart.”
“Good.”
I blinked.
“Good?”
She nodded.
“I didn’t want one.”
I kissed her forehead.
“That’s okay.”
She looked around.
“Where’s Daniel?”
“Right outside.”
“Can he come in?”
I looked toward the nurse.
She nodded.
Daniel entered.
Sophie smiled.
“Hi.”
“Hey, bug.”
He sat beside her.
“You scared us.”
“Sorry.”
“You don’t apologize for being sick.”
She looked at him.
Then her expression changed.
“Daniel?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I tell you something?”
I watched her carefully.
She lowered her voice.
“Dad told me you were dangerous.”
Daniel went completely still.
“He said you wanted to take me away from him.”
I felt my stomach twist.
“When did he tell you that?”
“Last month.”
Daniel looked at me.
I said nothing.
Sophie continued.
“He said you and Mom were trying to make me hate him.”
Daniel swallowed.
“What else?”
“He said if anybody asked about the medicine, I should say Mom gave it to me.”
My blood ran cold.
“What?”
Sophie looked frightened.
“I didn’t want to lie.”
“You didn’t.”
“He said if I told the truth, they’d take me away.”
I leaned over her.
“Who would take you away?”
“The police.”
“Why would he say that?”
“I don’t know.”
Daniel stood.
His jaw tightened.
“I knew it.”
I looked at him.
“Knew what?”
“He was preparing her.”
“For what?”
Daniel didn’t answer.
The door opened.
Detective Harris walked in.
“I heard enough.”
He looked at Sophie.
“Sweetheart, you’re not in trouble.”
She nodded.
“Can I ask you something?”
Sophie looked at me.
I nodded.
Detective Harris sat down.
“Did your father ever ask you to memorize anything?”
Sophie thought.
“Yes.”
“What?”
“Dates.”
“What dates?”
“Days when I took the medicine.”
Detective Harris exchanged a glance with me.
“Did he write them down?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“In his notebook.”
“Did he ever tell you why?”
Sophie shook her head.
“He said it was important.”
Detective Harris stood.
“Thank you.”
As he turned toward the door, Sophie suddenly grabbed his sleeve.
“Wait.”
He looked back.
“I remember something else.”
“What?”
She whispered:
“Dad wasn’t the only person who gave me the medicine.”
The room went silent.
I felt my heart stop.
“Who else?”
Sophie looked toward me.
“The doctor.”
“What doctor?”
“The lady who came to Dad’s house.”
Daniel stood.
“What lady?”
Sophie closed her eyes.
“I don’t know her name.”
Detective Harris crouched beside the bed.
“Can you describe her?”
Sophie nodded.
“She had dark hair.”
My stomach dropped.
“A white coat?”
“Yes.”
“Did she have glasses?”
“No.”
“Did she drive a car?”
“Yes.”
“What kind?”
Sophie thought.
“A black SUV.”
Detective Harris slowly stood.
He looked at me.
Then he pulled out his phone.
He showed me a photograph.
My blood ran cold.
It was a woman.
Dark hair.
White coat.
Early forties.
I recognized her immediately.
Not because I’d met her.
Because I’d seen her before.
On a framed photograph in Eric’s house.
Standing beside Eric.
At Sophie’s tenth birthday party.
I had assumed she was one of his coworkers.
But now I remembered the name written beneath the photograph.
Dr. Rachel Mercer.
And suddenly I understood why Eric had been so terrified of Daniel.
Because Daniel hadn’t been the danger.
He had been getting too close to the truth.
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