Chapter 7 - The Assistant Who Knew Too MuchClaire froze in the doorway.
The balloons trembled above her.
“You already knew,” Ethan said.
Claire forced a smile.
“Knew what?”
“That Olivia survived.”
Her eyes moved toward the exit.
Detective Ortiz stepped behind her.
Claire lowered the balloons.
She admitted she had visited Saint Catherine's.
Seven times.
She had recorded Ethan's calls.
She had helped edit them.
She had processed documents.
But then Sophie spoke.
“Aunt Claire gave Vanessa the sleepy juice.”
Silence.
“What sleepy juice?” Ortiz asked.
Sophie pointed.
“You put it in my milk.”
Claire began crying.
Vanessa had instructed her to administer a drug to keep Sophie quiet.
The pediatrician named on the prescription did not exist.
Claire was arrested.
But before leaving, she whispered:
“Adrian has evidence against Olivia.”
That evidence appeared at the custody hearing.
Medical records.
Edited recordings.
Claims of instability.
A recording seemed to show Olivia saying:
“Sophie cannot stay with Ethan. I would rather see it all end.”
Olivia looked horrified.
Marcus recovered the full recording.
The sentence had been deliberately cut.
Olivia had actually said:
“I would rather see it all end in court.”
The truth was finally emerging.
But the court could not move fast enough for Sophie.
When Olivia was denied unsupervised contact, Sophie collapsed.
“Mommy came back!”
Olivia held her.
“I’m not leaving you.”
“You said that last time.”
That night, Marcus arrived with another video.
Vanessa was in a car.
She handed Claire a bottle.
“Three drops in Sophie’s milk.”
Claire asked if it was safe.
Vanessa replied:
“Keller used more on Olivia.”
Then Adrian entered the car.
He kissed Claire.
He gave her cash.
Ethan stared at the screen.
The conspiracy was larger than Vanessa.
Much larger.
Then the phone rang.
Olivia.
“Ethan, someone is inside my apartment.”
“Get out.”
“I’m hiding in the bathroom.”
Glass shattered.
A man's voice came through the phone.
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“Where is the key?”
The call ended.
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