Chapter 2

Early the next morning, I heard voices coming from outside my bedroom.

I shot upright in bed.

This old apartment belonged to Mom. After my divorce, I couldn't afford to rent a place of my own, so she'd let me stay here temporarily.

The bedroom door was forced open. Mom and Victoria walked in with several unfamiliar men in tow.

My eyes immediately landed on the identification badge clipped to the chest of the man closest to me. It read "Psychiatric Evaluator".

"What are you doing?" I yelped as I scrambled into the corner of the bed, shielding Lily.

"Dr. Cordone says your condition isn't good right now," Mom said as she walked over with a cold expression. "These two psychiatric evaluators are here to conduct an assessment."

"There's nothing wrong with me."

"Denial is a classic defense mechanism," one of the evaluators replied as he pushed up his glasses and pulled out a voice recorder. "Ms. Bellini, please step away from the baby. Your current state shows aggressive tendencies."

I clenched my jaw as I glared at them.

"Get out!"

Victoria sighed and took a step forward. Her eyes traveled across Lily and me with scrutiny.

"Emilia," she said with a sigh, her voice dripping with condescending pity. "Just look at her. She needs a professional pediatrician, and she needs a nursery with climate control. And you? You can barely take care of yourself. How could you possibly take care of her?"

As she spoke, she reached out to touch Lily's cheek.

"Don't touch her!" I slapped her hand away.

She clutched her wrist and stumbled back half a step, putting on a startled expression. Mom rushed forward immediately and clamped a hand around my shoulder, her sharp nails digging into my flesh.

"Control yourself, Emilia!" she snapped coldly. "Your sister put aside multimillion-dollar cases at her law firm to come here and see you, and this is how you repay her?"

Her grip was so hard that it hurt, and I struggled to pull back. The movement startled Lily awake, and she burst into tears.

"For goodness' sake, she's crying," Victoria huffed, frowning as impatience crept into her voice. "Give the baby to me. The hysterical state you're in now is only going to terrify her!"

I turned around, putting my back to them and shielding Lily tightly against my chest.

"Ms. Bellini," the evaluator standing in the back finally spoke up. "Please be aware that you've just exhibited aggressive behavior. If you continue to refuse to cooperate, our report will explicitly note signs of severe manic tendencies."

I turned to face him. "What agency are you with? What gives you the right to evaluate me?"

"We were retained by your family," the evaluator answered expressionlessly.

"I didn't hire you."

"Your mother and sister did. Under state family law, when immediate family members suspect that your current mental state may pose a threat to a minor, they have the right to request an emergency intervention. Your current behavior only confirms their concerns."

Emergency intervention.

They'd already slapped the label of an "unfit mother" on me.

To the side, Mom elegantly smoothed the creases of her silk scarf.

"Sir, as you can see for yourself, her failed marriage has completely broken her. She's suffering from severe paranoia right now, and leaving Lily here with her would practically be a crime," she said, her voice thick with feigned sorrow.

"Margaret," I called her by her name. "Must you resort to such dirty tricks to steal my daughter from me?"

"How dare you speak to me like that!" Her expression turned cold. "I'm just trying to help you get the intervention you need. Once your mental state is fixed, I'll pay for you to start over. But in this family, a broke single mother will be nothing but a burden on the next generation."

"I don't need your charity."

"But Lily does!" Victoria insisted as she stepped forward aggressively. "She needs a home in a good school district. She needs a trust fund. She needs parents who can take her on weekend getaways. Meanwhile, you can't even afford next month's health insurance premium."

I met her intimidating gaze head-on.

"I went through 30 hours of labor to give birth to her. I'm her sole legal guardian."

Victoria flicked her curls contemptuously. "Don't be naive, Emilia. Giving birth to her doesn't mean you're capable of raising her. The one who can provide the best life for her is the one who's fit to be her real mother. How can you possibly compete with me?"

She turned to look at the evaluators.

"Record every single word of her outburst just now. It's obvious she's lost her basic parental capabilities. Notify Child Protective Services and have them step in."

The evaluator nodded and began scribbling something on his clipboard.

"Get out," I said softly.

"Emilia."

Mom walked over and tried to yank Lily out of my hands. "Be good and hand the baby over to Victoria."

I grabbed the glass of water from the nightstand and splashed it straight into her face.

"Get out!"

Water trickled down Mom's cheeks as she stood there frozen, stunned into silence.

The evaluator took a step back, frowning and rapidly scribbling on his clipboard.

"Uncontrolled emotional outburst accompanied by severe violent tendencies," he said. "I recommend that the family immediately petition the court for an emergency injunction to suspend her parental rights."