Chapter 2 - The Evidence Beneath the Blanket

The next forty-eight hours were a masterclass in psychological warfare.

I played the role of the defeated, unhinged executive perfectly. I allowed Victoria’s lawyers to serve me with the restraining order in the lobby of my own corporate headquarters. I let the paparazzi snap photos of me looking exhausted and broken. I wanted Victoria to feel invincible.

Behind closed doors, my team was moving mountains.

Marcus had uncovered Victoria’s true past. Her real name was Victoria Vance—no relation to me, a cruel irony. She had been married once before, ten years ago, to a wealthy real estate developer in Chicago. That husband had died of a "sudden heart attack," leaving her a massive life insurance payout. Medical records we illegally procured showed he had suffered from unexplained bouts of hypoglycemia in the months leading up to his death.

She wasn't just a manipulator. She was a black widow.

But my primary concern was Lily. She was alone in that room with a monster. I needed eyes on the inside.

I picked up a burner phone and dialed a number Marcus had secured for me.

“Hello?” a hesitant voice answered.

“Nurse Ruiz. It’s Nathan Vance,” I said.

I heard a sharp intake of breath. “Mr. Vance, I cannot speak to you. There is a court order.”

“Carmen, please, just listen to me,” I pleaded, stripping away all the arrogance of a CEO. “I know you saw the bruise on my daughter’s leg. I know you know Victoria is lying. You’ve been a pediatric nurse for twenty years. You know what Munchausen by proxy looks like.”

Silence hung on the line. Then, a heavy sigh. “I’ve suspected something was wrong for weeks. But Ms. Hale is very well-connected with the hospital administration. Without hard proof, reporting her would only get me fired, and leave Lily entirely unprotected.”

“I have the proof,” I said firmly. “I have audio recordings. I have her background. I am bringing the FBI and the police to the conservatorship hearing tomorrow to arrest her. But I need to know Lily will survive the night. Victoria might try to induce another crisis to prove to the judge tomorrow that Lily needs her.”

“What do you need me to do?” Carmen asked, her voice shifting from hesitant to fiercely protective.

“I need you to intercept anything Victoria tries to give her tonight,” I said. “Replace her IV bags with saline. Swap the medications. Do whatever it takes to keep my daughter safe until tomorrow morning.”

“She keeps a small designer makeup bag in her purse,” Carmen whispered, her voice dropping lower. “She takes it into the bathroom with her every time she changes Lily’s bedding. I think that’s where she keeps the unauthorized supplies.”

“Get it,” I commanded. “Steal it. It’s the physical evidence the police need to tie her to the syringe.”

“I’ll do it during the 2:00 AM shift change,” Carmen promised. “I won't let her hurt your little girl, Mr. Vance.”

I hung up the phone, staring out at the Boston skyline from my penthouse. The city was glittering in the aftermath of the snowstorm, oblivious to the war raging inside my chest.

I looked at the crumpled drawing Lily had given me before I left for the airport. The tall woman with claw-like fingers. The faceless, tiny girl.

Lily hadn't drawn a picture of her emotions. She had drawn a map. She had drawn a warning.