Chapter 4: Turning the Trap

On the way home, I came up with a plan. If they wanted to wait me out, I’d force them to act first.

When I got home, Savannah rushed over like a little bird, clinging to my arm. “Mom, why have you been away so much? You haven’t spent time with me in ages! Tomorrow is New Year’s—let’s go shopping!”

“Savannah, Mommy’s feeling dizzy,” I said, holding my forehead. “I might not be able to go tomorrow.”

“Are you okay? Should we call a doctor?” Marcus looked over, worried.

I shook my head. “I’m just tired. I’ll stop by the hospital tomorrow on my way to the office.”

Marcus said, “I’ll go with you.”

“No need. You take Savannah out tomorrow. Take Lila too—she’s been cooped up at home.”

A family outing—I knew they’d be tempted. Sure enough, Marcus hesitated, then nodded. “Okay. Let me know as soon as you get the results.”

Savannah lowered her head, lips curling. She cared a lot about keeping me on her side. Tomorrow, I’d give them a big surprise.

The next day, I went home early and waited on the sofa. In the evening, I heard laughter outside. The family of three walked in, all smiles. Marcus carried seven or eight fancy shopping bags. Seeing me, all three froze, then came over.

“Mariah, why are you home so early? Did you go to the hospital? What did the tests say?”

I looked down, shyly pulling a slip of paper from my purse. Marcus took it, glanced at it, and his face changed. Then he faked excitement. “Mariah, is this real?” Where had he learned to switch faces so fast? I watched his trembling hands—he was terrified, not excited—and smiled. “Yes, exactly six weeks.”

The report was fake. Since they didn’t want me pregnant, I pretended to be, just to shake them up. This threw off all their plans—they’d have to act.

Earlier, I’d said I had headaches and insomnia from being upset with Savannah, and told Marcus to sleep in the guest room. Now, with a "pregnancy," I had every reason to keep him out of my room. Otherwise, if he tried to get close, I might not be able to stop myself from killing him. Now, the bomb was dropped.

I headed upstairs. “I’m tired. I’ll rest now. Call me when dinner’s ready.” I left them time to process and plan.

For days, Marcus acted as usual, attentive and caring. Savannah, though, was sullen. “Mom, if you’re having another baby, why didn’t you tell me first?”

“It was a surprise for me too,” I said happily. “It’s fate! Savannah, you’ll be a big sister—take care of your sibling!”

“Oh.” She lowered her head, hiding her displeasure.

One morning, as Marcus left, he said, “My car’s in the shop—I’ll use yours today.”

Here it was. People’s methods don’t change. They were going to try the same trick as eight years later.

“Hello, are you Savannah’s mother?” a girl’s voice came from the phone. “Savannah didn’t do well on her finals and said she was going to the house in the west suburbs to clear her head. I can’t reach her. She said a lot of weird things, about being useless and not wanting to live. Do you think she’ll do something stupid?”

“Thank you. I’ll go look for her.”

I hung up and ran out. Savannah’s phone was off. I called Marcus twice—no answer, as expected. In a panic, I had to go myself.

Sitting in the car, I leaned back and smiled. Exactly the same—the same excuse to lure me out. The only difference was, last time Savannah was in college and failed a class. This time, it was her finals. I believed that much. Savannah acted obedient, but deep down she hadn’t changed—still a lazy, rebellious teenager who didn’t care about school. She knew I cared about her grades. Any mention of school would get my attention.

The house in the west suburbs was chosen carefully—it was near a sharp turn and a cliff. One wrong move and disaster could strike. I knew the brakes were tampered with, but I got in anyway.

I drove off, but didn’t head to the house—the road was too dangerous. I wasn’t risking my life. Instead, I drove to a farm with a wide, flat field. As I neared the turn, I eased off the gas and slowed down. When I hit the brakes, the car didn’t slow. They really had sabotaged the brakes, just as I thought.

Spotting a haystack, I steered toward it. Because I was prepared and chose the spot, my injuries weren’t serious—just a bump on the head. After leaving the hospital, I went to the police.

Earlier, I’d told Marcus the dashcam was broken and asked him to replace it. He never did. But it wasn’t broken—I just wanted him off guard. The dashcam recorded everything—how he tampered with the brakes. I risked injury to strengthen the case. If I’d never driven the car or gotten hurt, their crime would be much less severe. Now, with solid evidence and my injuries, Marcus confessed everything.

I pressed charges against Marcus and Lila for kidnapping—switching babies fourteen years ago. They hadn’t covered their tracks perfectly. The case was solved quickly. The police did a DNA test—Maddie was indeed my biological daughter. They also uncovered their earlier scams and cons. With multiple charges, Marcus and Lila would spend the rest of their lives in prison. Marcus’s mother and Darlene’s family were also implicated in the kidnapping and punished accordingly.