Chapter 10 - MARGARET'S CALL

Margaret called Daniel from jail.

He almost didn't answer.

His attorney told him not to.

Officer Harris told him anything she said could matter.

In the end, Daniel accepted the monitored call.

I sat beside him.

"Hello?"

"Daniel."

Margaret sounded small.

Not angry.

That was somehow worse.

"Mom."

"Please come see me."

"No."

"Daniel, I'm your mother."

"You keep saying that like it erases what you did."

"I made mistakes."

"Mistakes?"

He stood.

"You drugged Emily."

"I was scared."

"You kicked her."

"She was taking you away."

"Claire."

Silence.

Daniel's voice shook.

"You drugged Claire too."

Margaret stopped pretending.

When she spoke again, her tone hardened.

"Claire was not right for you."

"You killed my child."

"We don't know that."

"You put medication in her drink."

"I saved your future."

Daniel closed his eyes.

I reached for his hand.

Margaret continued.

"And Emily was becoming exactly the same."

I leaned toward the phone.

"My name is not a problem you get to solve."

Margaret sucked in a breath.

"She's there?"

"Yes."

"Of course she is."

Daniel's eyes flashed.

"Mom."

"She has turned you completely against me."

"No. You did that."

"I gave you everything."

"I never asked you to destroy people for me."

"I protected you."

"From my own children?"

Silence.

Then Margaret said quietly, "You don't understand what children cost."

Daniel looked toward Robert.

"What does that mean?"

His mother laughed once.

Cold.

"You still don't know."

"Know what?"

"Ask your father why Matthew died."

Robert stood.

"Hang up."

Daniel stared at him.

Margaret heard.

"Is he there?"

"Mom, what are you talking about?"

Robert moved toward the phone.

"Daniel, end the call."

Margaret suddenly spoke fast.

"Your father was the one holding the oxygen line."

Everything stopped.

Daniel looked at Robert.

"What?"

Robert shook his head.

"She's lying."

"Am I?" Margaret said.

"Shut up."

"You wanted one child, Robert. One healthy child."

Daniel backed away from his father.

"Dad?"

May you like

THE MAID’S DAUGHTER

“GET OUT OF MY HOUSE,” HIS FIANCÉE TOLD THE MAID—THEN THE MAFIA BOSS LOOKED AT HER LITTLE GIRL“Get out of my house. And take that...

**MY HUSBAND CALLED ME A “BARREN LEECH”—HE DIDN’T KNOW MY MONEY WAS KEEP...

My husband threw his wedding ring at my feet and told security to remove the “barren leech” from the ballroom.He had no idea he wa...

MY DAUGHTER’S NOTE STOPPED MY WEDDING—AND EXPOSED MY BRIDE

MY DAUGHTER SLIPPED ME A NOTE BEFORE “I DO”—AND EXPOSED MY BRIDE’S PLANPART 1 — TEN MINUTES BEFORE THE VOWS“Daddy, if you marry he...

Robert's face collapsed.

And for the first time, I realized there might not be a single innocent parent in that family.