Chapter 8 - The Golden Child's Secret
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I sat back down beside Emma's bed, resting my forehead against the edge of her mattress.
As the quiet hours of the afternoon dragged on, my mind replayed twenty-eight years of family history. I finally saw my family for what it truly was.
Vanessa was the golden child. From the time we were little girls, Vanessa could do no wrong. When she broke my father's antique clock, I was blamed for leaving it near the edge. When she failed her high school exams, my mother blamed the teachers.
And when Vanessa had Lily, my parents treated my niece like royalty.
When I gave birth to Emma, things shifted. Vanessa couldn't handle the fact that another grandchild existed. She resented every present my parents bought for Emma. She resented every smile my father gave her.
My mother had fed that resentment. Instead of checking Vanessa’s cruel behavior, my mother enabled it, creating an environment where Vanessa believed she had the divine right to discipline my child however she saw fit.
A soft knock at the door broke my thoughts. Detective Morales walked inside, holding a file folder.
"Rachel," Morales said softly. "I just came from your parents' house."
I looked up, my chest tightening. "What happened?"
"We executed a search warrant on the kitchen," Morales stated. "We recovered the cast-iron skillet from the sink. It had already been washed, but our forensics team found blood trace residues near the handle base."
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My stomach turned. "They washed the pan?"
"Your mother tried to clean the crime scene before we arrived," Morales said grimly. "She claimed she was just 'doing the dishes.'"
