Chapter 15
Gabriel pulled out a flash drive and handed it over. “Mr. Grant, there’s more on here. We dug up everything on Britney, including what she did to your sons.”
What did Britney do to Noah and Simon?
Calvin yanked the drive out of Gabriel’s hand and jammed it into his laptop.
The videos started to play, one after another. With each clip, his heart turned colder.
Britney had been mistreating his sons the whole time he wasn’t home. Yesterday, Noah and Simon had tried to tell him, but he hadn’t believed them. He’d sided with Britney instead.
It hit him then. He’d done the exact same thing to Avery. He could’ve looked into the truth right away, but he’d just let it slide because Britney told him everything was fine. Only now did he realize how wrong he’d been.
A wave of guilt tightened in his chest, making it hard to breathe.
Just then, Calvin’s phone rang. At first, he was too lost in thought to answer, but when he saw it was the school calling, he forced himself to sound calm. “Hello? Is something wrong with Noah or Simon?”
“No, Mr. Grant,” the teacher said gently. “But when they called in sick, we weren’t told what exactly was wrong or whether they were receiving treatment at the hospital. Some of the other children would like to visit them, so I just wanted to check in.”
The words made Calvin’s stomach drop. So, Noah and Simon hadn’t been going to school. That meant they were still home alone with Britney. She must have told the school they were sick.
His hand shook so hard that a vase on his desk tipped over and shattered.
“Mr. Grant, is everything okay?” the teacher asked, confused.
“Yes, just something came up. I’ll get back to you about the boys,” Calvin replied, barely keeping it together as he ended the call.
“I’m going home right now! Get the car!” Calvin barked, clutching his phone so hard it looked like it might snap in half.
Gabriel rushed to the parking lot without saying a word.
As Calvin sat in the car, a heavy sense of dread settled over him, growing stronger with every passing second. He had no idea how many red lights he ran on the way home.
As soon as they arrived, Calvin rushed inside and found the living room completely empty.
Britney came downstairs, looking surprised. “Calvin, why are you home so early today?”
Calvin glanced around the living room, searching for any sign of his sons.
“Where are Noah and Simon? Their teacher called and said they’d been out sick, so I came home to
check on them.”
Britney felt a flicker of panic but kept her tone calm as she called upstairs, “Noah! Simon! Calvin’s home!”
There was no response from upstairs.
Britney forced a smile. “They must be asleep. I already called the doctor and gave them their medicine.”
Calvin didn’t want to hear another word from Britney. He brushed past her and rushed upstairs.
Britney panicked and hurried after him.
Calvin threw open the door to the boys’ room and saw Noah and Simon curled up in bed.
The second they heard the door, they scooted back, hope and fear mixing on their faces.
“Dad, you’re back,” Noah said, his voice barely a whisper.
Simon just nodded silently.
Britney smiled and said, “See? I told you, they were sleeping. Calvin, don’t bother them.”
Calvin stared hard at them. “Simon, why aren’t you talking?”
Simon’s eyes widened in fear. He looked from Britney to Calvin, then slowly parted his lips. “Dad…” he said in a raspy voice.
Calvin’s face hardened as he stepped closer. “Simon, open your mouth.”
Britney rushed over, panicked. “Wait, Calvin, Simon’s just…”
Before she could finish, Simon opened his mouth wide.
Calvin’s stomach dropped. The inside of Simon’s mouth was covered in blisters.
Simon broke down, sobbing. “Dad… Dad…”
Noah started crying, too. “Dad, we want Mom. We don’t want Britney to be our mom anymore!”
