Chapter 5 - WHAT AMY NEVER TOLD ME
Frederick was dehydrated.
The ER doctor said we had brought him in at the right time.
A viral infection had pushed his temperature high, and because he hadn’t been drinking enough, his condition had gotten worse throughout the day.
I sat beside his hospital bed holding his tiny hand.
Amy sat across from me.
Neither of us spoke.
Finally, I said, “Why didn’t you call me?”
She stared at the floor.
“I tried.”
“What happened?”
“Your mom took my phone.”
I looked at her.
“She what?”
“She said I was ruining the party.”
“Amy…”
“She gave it back after lunch.”
“Why didn’t you call then?”
Her eyes filled.
“Because she said if I called you, she’d tell you I had screamed at Frederick.”
I frowned.
“What?”
“She said she’d tell everyone I was unstable.”
I stood.
Amy flinched.
That broke me.
I sat right back down.
“I’m not angry at you.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.”
She wiped her face.
“She kept saying you believed her.”
I couldn’t answer.
Because that part was true.
For months, whenever Amy complained about Teresa, I minimized it.
Mom means well.
She’s old-fashioned.
She’s trying to help.
Just ignore her.
Every stupid sentence came back to me.
Amy looked through the glass at our son.
“She would come over after you left for work.”
“How often?”
“Almost every day.”
“What?”
“She said you asked her to.”
“I never asked her to.”
“I know that now.”
My chest tightened.
“What did she do?”
Amy laughed once, but there was no humor in it.
“She checked the refrigerator. She asked what I spent on groceries. She opened our mail.”
“She opened our mail?”
“She said it was family mail.”
I rubbed both hands over my face.
“What else?”
“She told me the house was technically hers.”
I looked up.
“What?”
“She said you were transferring it to her because married men make emotional decisions.”
“That’s insane.”
“She said once the house was in her name, she could decide whether Frederick and I were allowed to stay.”
For a second, the room felt too small.
“Amy, why didn’t you tell me?”
“I did.”
I stopped.
She looked directly at me.
“Three times.”
I remembered.
Not clearly.
Fragments.
Your mom keeps going through things.
Your mom says weird stuff about the house.
Your mom is making me uncomfortable.
And my answers.
She’s joking.
Don’t take her seriously.
That’s just Teresa.
Shame hit me harder than anger.
Amy took a breath.
“Connor, there’s something else.”
“What?”
“Two weeks ago, she brought papers.”
My stomach dropped.
“What papers?”
“She told me they were insurance forms.”
“Did you sign anything?”
“No.”
“Did she?”
“I don’t know.”
“What happened?”
“I told her I wanted you to look at them first.”
Amy’s voice shook.
“She got furious.”
“What did she say?”
Amy looked toward Frederick.
“She said, ‘By the time Connor understands what’s happening, it’ll already be done.’”
My phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
“Mr. Bradley?”
“Yes?”
“This is Detective Harris.”
I stood.
“We found Mason’s car.”
My grip tightened around the phone.
“And?”
May you like
There was a pause.
“You need to come see what was inside.”
