Chapter 2 - The Trap Closes
Mark grabbed his daughter's tiny shoulders with panic surging through his veins.
"Lily, we have to go right now," Mark whispered frantically.
"Daddy, what's wrong?" Lily asked, her eyes widening in confusion.
"Just trust me, sweetie," Mark said, unhooking the IV tube from her arm.
He pulled the light jacket over her hospital gown.
He lifted her small body into his arms.
The loud footsteps outside grew closer to room 402.
Mark backed away toward the private bathroom inside the room.
The main door of the hospital room burst open with force.
Two uniform police officers entered, followed by a woman in a strict formal suit.
The woman held a thick red folder in her hands.
"Mark Vance!" the female official announced sternly.
"Place the child down immediately!" she commanded.
"She is my daughter!" Mark shouted back, backing against the far wall.
"By order of Child Protective Services, emergency custody of Lily Vance has been temporarily awarded to her grandmother," the official stated coldly.
"That woman is a monster!" Mark roared. "She poisoned my wife and threatened my daughter!"
"You are currently under investigation for severe child endangerment and financial fraud, Mr. Vance," the officer said, stepping forward.
"The evidence was submitted by Mrs. Vance’s legal team half an hour ago," the officer added.
"Evidence?" Mark sneered. "She fabricated everything!"
"Set the girl down, sir, or we will use force," the officer warned, reaching for his taser.
Lily gripped Mark's shirt collar tightly.
"Don't let them take me, Daddy!" Lily sobbed.
Mark looked at the window on the fourth floor of the hospital.
There was no fire escape.
They were completely trapped.
"Mr. Vance, this is your final warning," the officer shouted.
Suddenly, a tall man in a dark trench coat stepped into the hospital room doorway behind the officers.
It was Detective Miller—the detective who had originally brought the police earlier.
"Hold on, officers," Detective Miller said calmly, waving his badge.
The officers paused and turned toward him.
"Detective Miller, thank God," Mark breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Explain to them what happened!" Mark begged. "You saw Evelyn's behavior yourself!"
Detective Miller looked straight at Mark with a blank, emotionless expression.
He slowly pulled out a set of arrest warrants.
"Mark Vance, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of your wife, Clara Vance," Detective Miller said smoothly.
Mark's world shattered instantly.
"What did you just say?" Mark gasped, stepping backward.
"We found the toxic substances inside your personal vehicle twenty minutes ago," Miller replied without blinking.
Mark stared at the detective in absolute disbelief.
Evelyn had bought off the detective.
The entire police response earlier was a orchestrated setup.
"You bought him..." Mark whispered, horror dawning on his face. "She bought you!"
Detective Miller ignored Mark's words completely.
He nodded to the two officers.
"Take the child," Miller commanded coldly.
The officers lunged forward and grabbed Lily from Mark's arms.
Lily screamed wildly, flailing her arms.
"Daddy! Daddy! Help me!" Lily cried out.
"Lily!" Mark screamed as the officers slammed him against the wall.
The cold steel of handcuffs pinned his wrists together once again.
The woman in the suit wrapped a blanket around Lily and dragged her out of the room.
Mark fought desperately against the handcuffs, but the officers pinned him to the floor.
As he was forced down onto his knees, his eyes met Detective Miller's.
Miller pulled out his smartphone and held it up to Mark's face.
The screen lit up with a live video feed.
Inside a luxurious black limousine parked right outside the hospital, Evelyn was sitting comfortably.
She held a glass of champagne in one hand.
Beside her in the limousine sat a small, folded piece of paper—the exact piece of paper Lily had pulled from her jacket earlier.
Evelyn looked straight into the camera and smiled brightly.
She slowly brought a golden lighter to the edge of the paper and ignited it.
May you like
"Your secrets die tonight, Mark," Evelyn's voice echoed through the speaker.
"And tomorrow, Lily forgets you ever existed."
