Chapter 6
Vanessa had commented with a single broken heart.
They were rewriting history in real time. By sunrise, the extended family would believe Emily had attacked Vanessa in a drunken rage and my mother had heroically defended her.
But it was Robert’s text that made my blood run cold. Child Protective Services. It wasn’t a warning; it was blackmail. They knew Emily’s background — the poverty, the lack of a safety net — and they were threatening to weaponize the state against her to force our submission.
I walked into the cramped bathroom, shut the door, and dialed my older brother, Marcus. He picked up on the first ring.
May you like
“Daniel, what the hell is going on?” Marcus demanded. “Mom’s hyperventilating. Vanessa says Emily shoved her into the bar cart?”
“Vanessa’s a liar, and Mom struck my wife hard enough to draw blood,” I whispered fiercely, gripping the edge of the sink. “And Rob just threatened to call CPS on us.”
