Chapter 1
I came home early and found my mother-in-law standing over my nine-year-old son while he scrubbed our kitchen floor on his knees.
Then she kicked the bucket toward him and said, "You missed a spot."
"Noah!"
My son looked up so fast that the cleaning rag fell from his hand.
"Mom..."
My mother-in-law Diane turned around.
"You're home early."
I rushed across the kitchen and saw Noah's red, trembling hands.
"What are you doing to my son?"
Diane folded her arms.
"I'm teaching him responsibility."
"He's nine."
"And you're raising him to be lazy."
Noah suddenly whispered, "Grandma, please don't."
Those words made my stomach twist.
I stepped closer to Diane.
"Don't what?"
She laughed.
"Sarah, stop being dramatic."
Then I noticed a pile of dirty dishes beside Noah.
His school backpack was still sitting unopened by the door.
"Did you make him do all of this?"
Diane shrugged.
"He needed to earn his dinner."
I stared at her.
"You withheld food from my child?"
"He refused to clean his room."
Noah shook his head quickly.
"That's not true."
Diane snapped, "Be quiet."
I moved before I even thought about it.
I slapped Diane across the face.
The entire kitchen went silent.
"Never speak to my son like that again."
Diane slowly touched her cheek.
Then she smiled.
It wasn't the reaction I expected.
"You just made a very big mistake."
I pulled Noah behind me.
"Get out of my house."
Diane picked up her purse.
"You still think this is your house?"
I froze.
She reached inside and pulled out a small key.
Noah suddenly grabbed my hand.
"Mom, that's the key Grandma uses for Dad's locked office."
My husband Ryan had told me nobody had entered that room since he left for a business trip three weeks earlier.
I looked at Diane.
"How did you get that?"
May you like
Her smile disappeared.
Then Noah whispered, "Mom... Grandma goes in there every night after you fall asleep."
