Chapter 9 - GATHERING THE EVIDENCE
For ten agonizing seconds, nobody breathed. The only sound was the rain lashing against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the library. Madeline stared into my eyes, searching for a hint of weakness, a flicker of hesitation. She found none. I had transformed from the meek, people-pleasing daughter-in-law into a weapon forged in the fire of her cruelty.
Slowly, Madeline’s thumb lifted off the button. She dropped the remote onto the Persian rug.
"You're a monster," Madeline whispered, trying to reclaim some shred of dignity.
"No," I replied, grabbing her by the collar of her designer dress and slamming her against the oak bookshelf. "I'm a mother."
Sirens suddenly pierced the night. Blue and red lights flooded the driveway, strobing aggressively through the library windows. Mack, the security guard, hadn't just let us in; he had called the police the moment we drove past the gates.
Detective Harris stormed through the library doors, followed by a tactical unit with weapons drawn. "Drop the guns!" he shouted.
I immediately lowered the Glock and set it on the floor, kicking it away. Brandon did the same with the shotgun.
"Arrest her," Brandon said, pointing at his mother. "She confessed to the embryo swap, the poisoning, and attempting to murder my son with a remote IV trigger."
Harris kicked the silver remote away and cuffed Madeline roughly, ignoring her indignant shrieks about her lawyers and her social standing. Two other officers approached Victoria Sterling, who was sobbing hysterically, begging for mercy.
Harris walked up to me, his expression grave. "You took a massive risk coming here, Mrs. Hayes. But it paid off. We raided the Genesis Institute. We found Dr. Vance’s hidden offshore ledgers. It documents everything. Your embryo going to Victoria Sterling, and the anonymous teenage girl’s child going to you. Madeline orchestrated the whole thing."
"Is Luke safe?" I asked, my voice finally cracking as the adrenaline began to leave my system.
"He’s fine," Harris nodded. "I had an officer sitting in the room the whole time. A nurse tried to enter with a strange IV setup ten minutes ago. My guy tackled him. He's in custody and already squealing on Madeline to save his own skin."
I closed my eyes, a massive wave of relief washing over me. He was safe. Luke was safe. I turned to look at Lily. She was standing by the couch, watching the chaos with wide, frightened eyes. She didn't understand why the police were taking the woman she thought was her mother away in handcuffs.
I slowly knelt down, keeping my distance so I wouldn't scare her. "Hi, Lily," I said softly.
She clutched her stuffed rabbit tighter. "Where is Mommy going?"
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"She has to go away for a little while," I said, my heart breaking for the confusion this innocent child was enduring. "But you’re safe. Nobody is going to hurt you."
Brandon knelt beside me, tears streaming down his face as he looked at the daughter he had been robbed of. "We're going to take care of you, Lily. We promise."
