Chapter 6: Drugged
Annie's POV
The apartment felt different when I returned from the hospital. Howard's business card was still in my pocket, his job offer and Lucy's silent plea lingering in my thoughts. But all ideas of fresh starts vanished the moment I stepped inside.
Laughter drifted from the dining room – the kind that's practiced until perfect. I found them gathered around the table: Philip at the head, Sarah in my usual seat, and the boys on either side of her. She was opening gifts, her makeup artfully done to project warmth and vulnerability. She was a beauty for sure, but with flaws that men like Philip seemed blind to. Her smile was a masterpiece of calculation, and I wondered how many hours she'd spent perfecting it.
"I'm so glad to join this family," Sarah was saying, her voice trembling with practiced emotion.
Philip noticed me first. "Annie. Join us? We're celebrating."
"Celebrating?" The word tasted bitter. "My miscarriage, perhaps?"
Sarah's hand flew to her throat. "Oh, Annie, I had no idea... I'm so sorry for your loss."
"This is our celebration," Brian declared, glaring at me. "You're not invited."
I took a step toward my son, but he jumped up, positioning himself between me and Sarah. "You can't come near my new mom!"
"Brian," Philip's voice carried that familiar note of authority. "Could you make do with the guest room?"
"The guest room?" I gasped.
"Mom's staying in your old room now," Brian announced triumphantly. "You can't go in there anymore."
I moved toward the master bedroom, but Brian darted ahead, blocking the doorway. "This is Sarah's room now! You don't belong here anymore!"
"Please, Annie. Don't make it difficult for us all," Philip said firmly, his tone making it clear it wasn't really a plea.
Sarah rose gracefully. "I could stay in the guest room instead," she offered, voice dripping with false modesty. "I wouldn't want to impose..."
"No!" Brian clutched her hand. "You're staying here with us!"
I looked between them – my husband, my son, and the woman who had so expertly orchestrated their devotion.
"Brian, I promised to divorce your dad and that's all you'll receive from me. But this one isn't the promise I made." My voice was steadier than I felt.
I shoved Brian aside, forged into my room, and locked the door. I could use some sleep.
Morning sunlight streamed through the guest room window as I methodically packed my belongings. Each item I placed in my suitcase felt like shedding another layer of the life I'd built here – clothes I'd never felt comfortable in, jewelry that marked occasions now tainted by lies, photos I couldn't bear to look at anymore.
My hand brushed against something in the dresser drawer – a phone I didn't recognize. Sarah's, I realized, my heart quickening. She must have left it when she'd moved her things into what used to be my bedroom. The screen lit up at my touch, unlocked. She must've been careless with her possessions.
A notification banner caught my eye: "Lab Results Available - Mount Sinai OB/GYN."
My hands trembled as I opened the message. The words swam before my eyes: "Pregnancy confirmed - 9 weeks." The date stamp was from three weeks ago.
Nine weeks. The timeline spun in my head as I opened her WhatsApp, knowing I should stop but unable to tear my eyes away. A conversation with "Rob" filled the screen.
Robert: "What do you mean you're pregnant?"
Sarah: "Don't worry. Everything's going according to plan."
Robert: "Our weekend in Paris..."
Sarah: "Exactly. Philip hasn't touched me. This baby is yours."
I felt sick. Sarah wasn't just trying to take my place – she was playing both men, orchestrating some elaborate scheme that I was only beginning to understand.
I stuffed Sarah's phone into my pocket. I should show this to Philip? Despite everything, some foolish part of me still loved him enough to hesitate, to want to protect him from this pain.
But then I remembered how he'd said nothing but telling Brian to prepare for school while Brian rounded on me for his perfect disbanded family group, how he'd talked behind my back with his colleagues, how he'd never once truly stood up for me. Was this really love I was feeling, or just the habit of putting his feelings before my own?
Nevertheless, before I could decide, the front door slammed, followed by rapid footsteps. Philip burst into the room, his composure completely shattered.
"Brian's gone," he said without preamble. "Robert took him."
The world tilted sideways. "What?"
"Robert, Sarah's ex-husband kidnapped Brian. He's demanding..." Philip's voice cracked. "He wants Sarah. Says she belongs to him."
"Then go find Sarah, and speaking of Sarah,..." I asked, my voice steady despite the fear clawing at my throat.
"He's demanding a trade." Philip's voice had cut me off as if he had made a decision. "Sarah for Brian. But Sarah's disappeared. She's not answering her phone. We need... I need..."
Understanding dawned with horrifying clarity. "No."
I turned to head back to the bedroom, my voice cold. "Then call the police."
Philip blocked my path. "Robert's the one who took him. Sarah's ex-husband."
"So what?" I tried to step around him, my voice growing colder.
"Philip Baker, are you even a man anymore?"
"Annie, Brian is your son! You can't just let him die!"
As he spoke, his hand emerged from behind his back, holding a small spray bottle. Before I could react, he sprayed it directly in my face several times.
My body instantly went weak, my thoughts growing sluggish. This monster – he'd drugged me! After everything we'd been through, after losing our baby just hours ago, this was his solution? Trading one parent's dignity for another's betrayal?
It was in this moment I finally saw the man before me for who he truly was. "You already agreed, didn't you?" I managed to ask, my eyes going blurry. The room tilted sickeningly as I fought to stay conscious.
"I had no choice!" Philip almost shouted. "He said if you don't appear in front of him within two hours, he'll kill Brian!" His voice dropped, manipulative again. "That's our son we raised together. Can you really watch him die?"
I tried to struggle, but my limbs felt like lead. The irony of it all struck me as darkness crept in at the edges of my vision –how quickly my perfect family had unraveled. From Brian's rejection to losing the baby, and now this final betrayal. Was this what I deserved for trying to be a good mother? For loving too much?