Chapter 4

Tessa pivoted to Chris, her tears teetering on the brink. "I only came to lend a hand, figuring you might need support. Why would I harm a child? I've scarcely glimpsed him a few times."

Chris's frown deepened, his gaze on me heavy with weariness and exasperation. "Irene, you've acted strangely all night."

Taking a deep breath, he continued, "I urged you to call 911. You disconnected and insisted on driving. I argued the ambulance offered speed and safety, but you flipped out, claiming I'd endanger him."

Embarrassment flushed his cheeks, but he forged ahead. "Okay, maybe fear clouded your judgment. After the tire puncture, I summoned help. Tessa graciously prioritized our case and trailed us here out of worry. Instead of gratitude, you shoved her. Worse, you babble about suspicious items and implicate her?"

His raised voice drew stares from nearby families and nurses, sparking murmurs.

"This mom has lost it, huh?"

"That lady helped them, then got attacked for it?"

"The child's illness explains the stress, but this crosses a line."

Tessa sniffled on cue, her frame quivering for effect, while Chris listed my faults.

An arctic chill seeped into my bones. To him, my desperate safeguards boiled down to irrational ingratitude.

I delved into my pocket for the iridescent nail tip, its edge smeared with residue. "A sharp object pierced the tire."

I brandished it before Tessa's face. Under the fluorescent glow, it aligned flawlessly with her chipped manicure. "Yours, isn't it? How conveniently it was lodged beside my sabotaged wheel!"

Her complexion blanched momentarily, but tears surged anew. "It could have dropped accidentally. I strolled the lot yesterday, but that proves nothing. This is absurd."

She appealed to Chris, her sobs intensifying. "I swear it wasn't me. Irene's nerves are frayed, breeding paranoia. I understand her worry as a mother, but I can't let her slander me like this."

Chris's resolve wavered. He sighed, massaging his temples. "One stray nail means what? Steady yourself, Irene. Wait until Wesley emerges, alright?"

His blatant bias snapped my last thread of patience. But before I could retort, Tessa interjected softly, "Ease up. She's frantic about the boy. What if he doesn't pull..."

My palm cracked across her cheek, silencing her mid-sentence. She clutched her face, her eyes bulging in shock.

"Irene, what's your problem?" Chris thundered, his veins bulging. "Tessa helped save our son. How could you hit her?"

His arm swung upward, primed to retaliate. In that frozen instant, the nurse barreled back, clutching a sealed bag brimming with colorful fibers.