Chapter 4

Molly’s POV

I don’t get back home until 7 am the following day. My steps are slow and my limbs weary as I push myself into my bedroom. I sigh when I take in the condition, remembering what happened in what feels like years ago.

Pulling the already tangled sheets, I walk up the stairs to my daughter’s room, intending to take a short nap there while the nanny gets her ready for school.

My eyes don’t flutter open until hours later, when I hear voices coming from downstairs. I get up slowly and rub at my eyes, reaching for my phone.

Past 4 pm.

How great.

I have a lot of missed calls from the hospital, especially from Doctor Olivia, who had to be called in at an odd hour last night because Amanda insisted that I wasn't going to touch her child.

It was such a dramatic moment.

Pulling myself off the little bed, I trudge back down the steps. Eva, Jason, Amanda, and Lila are all in the living room packing up a little bag. 

“Mommy,” Eva calls excitedly, then runs over to me. “You are awake! Daddy said I shouldn’t bother you.”

"You can bother me for anything, honey, even when I am asleep."

"You needed to rest," Jason counters, looking up at me. "And we are just going to the pool. Lila said she needs to be by the water to feel better, and we are trying to give her everything to make her feel better."

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “But we have a pool around here?”

Amanda sighs loudly. "Don't tell me you are about to make a huge fuss on this, Molly. Your daughter is practically going with us. Isn't that enough?"

I shake my head. “Give me a few minutes to have a bath. I’ll be going with you. Eva, come with me.”

She rushes over to me and goes into my bedroom. I notice it is still the same way, even though the housekeeper has cleaned every part of the house. Jason must have ordered it to be left alone.

Or Amanda.

These days, I don’t know who runs my household anymore. 

Eva tells me about her day while I have my bath. Done in a few minutes, we walk out of the house to meet Jason and his cozy little family in the car. 

I pull the door to the front open, not surprised to meet Amanda sitting there. 

“Jason,” I call, stretching my neck to look at him while Eva climbs into the back seat, next to Lila. “This is my spot.”

"Not again," Jason groans, not bothering to hide his displeasure. "Molly, it is just a space in the car. You can sit anywhere. Amanda is already here, and she's not going to alight just because you want her to."

I am torn between chuckling and scoffing. 

“Jason,” I whisper as my voice starts to break. “You promised that under no condition will anyone take my space by your side in your car. Do you remember? I didn’t force you to make that promise, so why are you doing this?”

“I want to go to the pool now,” Lila whines from the back seat. “My chest hurts, Mommy.”

I want to ask how the pool makes the echo in her heart better, but I refrain from it. Eva looks at me with wide eyes, and because of her, only because of her, I walk back and slide into the back seat. 

Jason mumbles something under his breath as he pulls out of the driveway, edging into the heart of the city. We arrive at a hotel, and Jason hands his key over for valet parking while we alight. 

Amanda refuses to leave my husband’s side, holding Lila close to her while Eva and I come up at the rear. 

“Welcome, Mr and Mrs. Cross,” the lady at the desk greets with a pleasant smile on my face. But her eyes aren’t directed at me. She watches Amanda and Jason, the familiarity registering in her gaze. 

This isn't their first time here. Amanda has been referred to as Mrs. Cross for God knows how long, while the real Mrs. Cross has been behind the scenes like a dumb person. I feel rage flicker in me. 

“Your usual room?” She questions, still with that annoying smile.

Jason scratches the side of his ear as he turns to look at me, as if to confirm that I heard that. I ignore the whole scene, holding on to my daughter. 

“Pool area.”

We walk past a hallway and into the pool area, and I get Eva ready, changing her into a swimsuit. She goes into the water, while I recline on the seat next to Jason and Amanda. 

“This feels so good,” I hear Amanda say. “For Lila, of course. Look at how excited she is to be here.”

And then, she turns to Jason. “Thank you so much, Jay.”

Jay. He hates being called that.

“Anything for you, Amanda.” I guess I am wrong. 

My phone rings. As usual, it is a call from the hospital. "Jason, watch over Eva, please. I need to take this call."

He nods without looking up at me, and my feet falter for a few seconds before I move away.

“Hey, Doctor Olivia,” I murmur into my phone, putting as much distance as possible between me and the group. 

“You called.”

“Yes. I wanted to ask why you let Lila go. Did you conduct an ECG?”

“There was no need to,” Olivia replies. “There is nothing wrong with her heart. And her mother knows that.”

“Oh my God!”

“Hey, Molly, I don’t know what is going on, but I think you should stay away from her. She and her daughter look like trouble.”

“Send me the report, please,” I murmur, before ending the call. 

I had a feeling all along that Amanda had been lying, and this report proves it. I am going to make Jason see clearly the woman he has been bringing over to our home.

Moving back to the pool side, my feet come to an automatic halt when I see Jason with his back turned to the pool, and Lila in his arms. Amanda holds a towel around her and speaks softly. 

My eyes scan the pool area as panic starts welling inside me. "Jason," I saw with so much calm, such stark contrast from how I feel inside. "Where is my daughter?"

Right then, I see a pair of little hands thrashing in the middle of the pool, fighting for life.