Chapter 6
Their mother broke.
She covered her face and sobbed so loudly that one of the nurses stepped toward her.
Edric went wild.
“They’re confused! She’s medicated! You can’t use that!”
Dr. Cooper did not look away from his daughters.
“Get him out of here.”
The officers pulled Edric back.
He fought harder.
“Those girls are lying! Their mother knows! Tell them!”
Everyone looked at their mother.
She lowered her hands slowly.
Her face was gray.
Edric glared at her.
“Tell them.”
For years, those words had worked.
Tell them they slipped.
Tell them they bruise easily.
Tell them they’re emotional.
Tell them they misunderstood.
Their mother looked at Faye.
Then at Chloe.
Then at Dr. Cooper.
The truth stood in front of her in two hospital beds.
Her daughters were not children anymore.
And silence would not protect anyone now.
She whispered, “He hurt them.”
Edric stopped struggling.
The room went cold.
Their mother shook her head as tears ran down her face.
“He hurt them for years. And I let him scare me into silence.”
Faye closed her eyes.
The words did not heal everything.
But they opened a door that had been locked for too long.
One officer read Edric his rights in the hallway.
This time, everyone heard him.
Edric shouted until the doors closed behind him.
After that, only the monitors remained.
Beeping.
Steady.
Alive.
Dr. Cooper stood between the two beds like he was afraid if he moved, they would disappear again.
Faye looked at him.
“You got the letters?”
His face crumpled.
“No,” he said softly. “I sent them.”
Chloe’s eyes filled with tears.
“He burned them.”
“I know now.”
Their mother made a broken sound.
“I’m sorry.”
Faye looked at her.
There were a thousand things she wanted to say.
Where were you?
Why didn’t you stop him?
Why did we have to be the brave ones?
But Chloe was alive.
Their father was there.
Edric was gone.
So Faye only said, “Tell the police everything.”
Their mother nodded.
May you like
“I will.”
👉 But once detectives searched the house, they found proof Edric never thought anyone would uncover.
