Chapter 4

I held up my phone to let them see that I'd dialed for emergency services.

I explained, "When I opened my bedroom door, he was already lying there. The ambulance is on its way."

Suzanne's eyes reddened as she shot back, "That's impossible! I left him in the nursery before going downstairs. He's barely a month old. How could he possibly crawl all the way to your door?"

Rita came at me furiously. "The three of us were downstairs the whole time. You were the only one here!"

Lydia rushed into the nursery and soon returned with the monitor's power cord, which had been unplugged.

She said coldly, "Someone unplugged Ian's monitor; the bottle was right by your feet, and you were the only one home. How much longer are you going to deny it?"

The elevator doors opened again, and Mike hurried in. His eyes first fell on my open suitcase behind me. Then, they shifted to Ian in Suzanne's arms. Upon seeing that Ian's face had turned a ghastly blue-gray, all color instantly drained from Mike's face.

Mike said, "Stop arguing. We need to save Ian first."

Suzanne grabbed his sleeve with tears streaming down her face. "Mike, I only went downstairs to sign for a parcel. When I came back, Nadia was holding Ian. She'd already packed her bags, too. She was planning to leave the moment something went wrong."

Mike glanced at Ian before turning to me. His eyes held hesitation and suspicion.

Even though I'd already decided to leave him, that look still struck a dull, aching pain deep inside me.

After a while, he asked, "Nadia, did you go into the nursery just now?"

I shook my head and answered, "No. I don't know why he was lying outside my door."

He stared at me, his frown growing deeper.

Rita suddenly lunged forward and slapped me so hard that my ears rang.

Pointing at me, she screamed, "You couldn't save your own baby, so now you can't stand seeing someone else's child being alive and well! Listen, if anything happens to Ian, I'll make you pay with your life!"

I stumbled backward and struck the corner of a cabinet.

Mike stepped forward and seized my wrist, gripping it so tightly that it felt as though he might crush my bones.

"Don't blame Mom, Nadia. I want to believe you, too. But you were the only one home when Ian got into trouble. If you're angry with me, take it out on me. He's barely a month old. How could you bring yourself to hurt him?"

The ringing in my ears hadn't faded, and now his grip on my wrist was causing me unbearable pain.

I stared at me, and the last trace of affection I still felt for him vanished completely.

Right in front of them all, I called the police.

I said, "Don't touch the bottle or the monitor. If you all think I hurt Ian, then let the police investigate."

We remained locked in that standoff until the paramedics arrived. They immediately put Ian on oxygen and carried him into the ambulance.

Rita climbed in first. Suzanne stayed beside the ambulance door, while Mike continued gripping my wrist.

I pried his fingers off and picked up my suitcase. "Your son is over there. Go with him. I'm not staying."

He turned and saw me heading toward the elevator. For a moment, he looked stunned. Then, he raised his voice.

Mike shouted after me, "Nadia, Ian's still in critical condition! Are you leaving anyway?"

I laughed coldly and shot back, "What else am I supposed to do? Stay here and let you all pin the blame for hurting him on me?"

I'd already called for emergency help and explained everything I knew. Whatever happened next was their problem.

The floor numbers on the elevator's display panel changed slowly.

Mike followed me and spoke in that same gentle tone he'd always used to placate me. "Nadia, please don't leave yet. Wait until the results for Ian's health assessment come back. I'll get to the bottom of this."

When the elevator doors opened, I pressed the button to close them. "There's no need to tell me the results."

As the doors slid shut, Mike suddenly felt as though something important was disappearing from his life.

Behind him, a paramedic called urgently, "Can the baby's father get in the ambulance, please?"

Suzanne rushed over in tears and grabbed his arm. "Mike, Ian needs you!"

He hesitated for a few seconds before running toward the ambulance.

Downstairs, my ride had been waiting for a long time.

As the door closed, I sank into the seat and curled into myself. The tension I'd been holding for the past few days to keep myself going finally drained away, leaving behind nothing but exhaustion.

At last, I'd escaped that house.

Just then, my phone screen suddenly lit up. A number everyone knew all too well flashed across the screen, calling me repeatedly.