Chapter 2
Neil quickly peeled away the cheap paper sticker with his trembling fingers. The fake label flaked off like dry skin, revealing bright red warning text printed directly onto the metal surface. I watched his eyes dart rapidly from one line of text to the next. His mouth fell open, but he was completely unable to make a sound.
“What in the world is this?” he whispered.
I snatched the heavy silver can from his hands and read the warning label out loud with a calm voice.
“Veterinary product not intended for human consumption,” I read clearly. “Contains somatropin derivatives and strong sedative compounds for equine use only.”
“High risk of severe respiratory depression,” I finished.
Neil stumbled backward as if the metal can had suddenly burned his skin.
“This is impossible, because my mother would never know about this,” he stammered.
“Your mother knew exactly what she was buying, which is why she went to the trouble of covering it up with a fake label,” I replied.
He shook his head rapidly, and thick beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.
“No, there is simply no way, as this must be a terrible mistake made by her supplier.”
“Was it also a mistake when she kept complaining that Micah was too active?” I asked him. “Was it a mistake that she wanted him to look chubby for family photos, or that she threatened to replace me with a nanny?”
Neil sank heavily into a kitchen chair, his entire body shaking with fear. For the first time in our five years together, I saw true terror in his eyes. He was not afraid for me or for our precious baby. He was terrified of admitting that his own mother was a monster.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
“I am calling her right now.”
“Do not do that,” I said.
He looked up at me, completely confused.
“Why not?” he asked.
He did not realize that I had already taken care of everything. Earlier that morning, I had noticed a loose corner on one of the cans Whitney had sent ahead with her personal driver. My suspicion drove me to peel back the sticker while Neil was busy in the shower.
I searched the actual product name online and translated the German website. It was not baby formula at all, but rather an illegal substance used to bulk up racehorses and keep them sedated during travel. I immediately called our pediatrician, who told me to preserve the evidence and not touch anything else.
Then I called the federal health authorities and the local police department. By the time Whitney walked out of our house with her expensive perfume, a formal criminal complaint had already been filed. It included detailed photos, translation files, batch numbers, and the name of her smuggling contact.
Neil stared at me as if I were a complete stranger.
“You actually reported my mother to the police?”
“I reported a criminal who tried to feed dangerous horse sedatives to my infant son,” I replied coldly.
Tears began to stream down his face as he panicked.
“Adriana, please, you have no idea what this will do to our family reputation,” he sobbed. “My father has incredibly powerful business partners, and this scandal will completely ruin us.”
At that exact moment, my heart broke into a million pieces. Even when faced with evidence of attempted poisoning, his only real concern was protecting the family name.
Suddenly, my cell phone began to ring with an unknown number. I answered the call and immediately put it on speakerphone.
“Mrs. Adriana Duncan, this is Detective Davis,” a serious voice said over the line. “We are currently outside the residence of Whitney Duncan, and we need to confirm that you and your child are safe.”
Neil looked up at me, his face turning completely pale. Through the speaker, we could hear loud shouting, a heavy crash, and police officers yelling commands.
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“Police department, open the door immediately!” a voice roared in the background.
Neil stood up so fast that his chair scraped loudly against the floor. Before either of us could say another word, we heard Whitney scream in terror like we had never heard before. The absolute worst of her secrets was about to be exposed to the world.
