Chapter 2 - What Lay Beneath
The sound of distant sirens began to cut through the neighborhood, but David couldn't wait for the paramedics. He carried Mia and Leo inside the house toward the warmth of the bathroom to wash away the freezing mud and assess their injuries.
Sarah tried to block the hallway. "David, don't do this. If the police come, they'll take them away from both of us! Think about my reputation—my job!"
"Get out of my way," David said, his tone leaving no room for argument. Sarah flinched and stepped back.
In the bathroom, David carefully stripped away the mud-soaked clothes. That was when his heart shattered into a thousand pieces.
Underneath the thick layers of dirt on Mia’s back and legs were faint, yellowish bruises in the distinct shape of fingertips—as if someone had forcibly dragged her. But on Leo’s delicate infant ankles were deep, red ring-shaped welts. Someone had tied his legs together before putting him in the cage to keep him from crawling out while Sarah worked in the garden.
"Mia," David whispered, his throat tight as he wrapped a warm towel around Leo. "Did she... did she tie Leo's feet?"
Mia looked down at her small knees, wiping a streak of mud from her cheek. "When Leo cried, she got mad. She said if he didn't stay still, she’d put him in the cellar with the rats."
David squeezed his eyes shut, forcing himself to stay calm for his children. The sheer cruelty was beyond anything he could comprehend. Sarah had seemed like a loving stepmother when they married eighteen months ago. She was attentive, sweet, and eager to help raise the kids after David’s first wife passed away. But the moment David’s job required him to travel for short overnight trips, Sarah’s true nature had emerged behind closed doors.
Suddenly, loud knocks echoed at the front door. Red and blue lights flashed through the front living room windows.
"Police! Open up!"
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David wrapped both children in thick, dry blankets, picked them up, and walked out into the living room. Sarah was already at the door, trying desperately to explain to two uniformed officers that it was a "family misunderstanding."
"Officers," David said clearly, stepping forward. "My name is David Vance. These are my children. I need an ambulance for them immediately, and I want this woman arrested."
