When I was five months pregnant, Derek Weston sent his beautiful personal assistant to me with an envelope of cash. There wasn’t even enough to cover a consultation at a legitimate clinic. She told me Derek thought the pregnancy was affecting our intimacy, and that I should take the money and get rid of the baby.
I fled Chicago.
Six years later, Derek donated enough to a children and family aid center to build a new housing wing and fund its operations for years. My daughter and I were living there through its work-housing program; I was temping in the cafeteria. The program didn’t cover meals.
Maisie was trembling with hunger, her small hand reaching for half a grilled cheese sandwich someone had left on a tray.
I blinked hard and caught her hand.
“Just wait a little longer, baby. Mommy will buy you some bread after work.”
Someone behind me called my name.
“Erin Collins?”
I turned.
Derek stood a few steps away, looking down at me, his expression devoid of warmth.
And then, all at once, a voice flooded my mind.
[She’s alive. She’s really alive. That child is mine, isn’t she?]
[Why are they dressed like this? Why is my daughter picking through other people’s leftovers?]
I stared at Derek’s cold face, certain I was hallucinating.
He looked at me, his jaw clenched.
“Why are you here? What happened to the money I sent you?”
His voice was ice, but the thoughts crashing through his head were chaotic.
[Did she give it all to that painter?]
[I want to hold her. I can’t. She’ll push me away. Damn it, what am I even supposed to say?]
Maisie clutched my leg, peeking out from behind me.
“Mommy, is he the bad daddy who gave you one thin envelope and didn’t want us anymore?”
He Accused Me Of Stealing But I Heard The Truth Chapter 14 Rachel found out what happened in the hospital room almost immediately. She sat in her office all afternoon, compiling Derek’s personal pharmacy receipts, his visitation logs, and his office schedule into a pink folder. After work, she drove to the Weston family estate
He Accused Me Of Stealing But I Heard The Truth Chapter 14 Read Post »
He Accused Me Of Stealing But I Heard The Truth Chapter 13 I heard her call “Mommy” from outside the room. I ran in. She still had an oxygen mask on, one small hand reaching for me. “Mommy, I’m not dizzy anymore. When do we go back to the cafeteria?” The nurse beside her turned
He Accused Me Of Stealing But I Heard The Truth Chapter 13 Read Post »
He Accused Me Of Stealing But I Heard The Truth Chapter 12 “But after Erin left, I was the one who held this company together for you. When the board demanded early repayment, I was the one who smoothed things over. When you were hospitalized with that fever, I ran the charity gala.” She took
He Accused Me Of Stealing But I Heard The Truth Chapter 12 Read Post »
He Accused Me Of Stealing But I Heard The Truth Chapter 11 In the full surveillance footage, I never pushed anyone. The woman had reached for Maisie’s mask, and I had simply knocked her hand away. Another person had been filming with a phone since we were in the parking lot. After Derek watched the
He Accused Me Of Stealing But I Heard The Truth Chapter 11 Read Post »
He Accused Me Of Stealing But I Heard The Truth Chapter 10 Rachel was the first to lose her patience. A few days later, a secretly filmed video appeared on Instagram and local news feeds. In it, a doctor had allowed me to wheel Maisie down to the first-floor pharmacy for oral care supplies. She
He Accused Me Of Stealing But I Heard The Truth Chapter 10 Read Post »
He Accused Me Of Stealing But I Heard The Truth Chapter 09 The medication and part of the hospital bill had been approved. I thought it had gone through Illinois Medicaid. When the nurse handed me the papers, she said, “Mr. Weston asked for it to be paid from his personal account, and he requested
He Accused Me Of Stealing But I Heard The Truth Chapter 09 Read Post »
He Accused Me Of Stealing But I Heard The Truth Chapter 08 Maisie wrinkled her nose. “The way she looks at you is like that mean goose in the park that always tries to steal my crackers.” I laughed, but my eyes began to burn. Derek found out that evening that I’d been forced out.
He Accused Me Of Stealing But I Heard The Truth Chapter 08 Read Post »
He Accused Me Of Stealing But I Heard The Truth Chapter 07 Rachel didn’t stop. Two days later, the director of the children and family aid center asked to see me. He said a donor had filed a complaint, accusing me of bringing my child into the back kitchen and stealing guests’ leftovers. “I know
He Accused Me Of Stealing But I Heard The Truth Chapter 07 Read Post »
He Accused Me Of Stealing But I Heard The Truth Chapter 06 When Rachel entered his office with coffee, he was studying a scanned document on his screen. “You haven’t eaten all day.” She set the cup down, her gaze falling to the monitor as her fingers trembled slightly. “You still don’t believe me?” Derek
He Accused Me Of Stealing But I Heard The Truth Chapter 06 Read Post »
He Accused Me Of Stealing But I Heard The Truth Chapter 05 Maisie was taken for plasma exchange immediately. I stood outside the isolation room, watching the nurses wheel her small bed away. Her arm was strapped to a board, an oxygen tube obscuring half her face. Derek stood at the other end of the
He Accused Me Of Stealing But I Heard The Truth Chapter 05 Read Post »
