Chapter 5 - The Trap is Set
Clara knew that on paper, Margaret looked like the perfect grandmother, and David looked like the grieving, protective father. To win in court and save Lily, Clara needed absolute, undeniable proof of Margaret’s current intent and malice.
She pretended to break down. She called David, crying, pretending to apologize. "I'm so sorry, David. The stress has gotten to me. I need a few days to clear my head. Can you please have Margaret watch Lily at the apartment just for one afternoon while I pack my things?"
David, relieved that Clara was finally "backing down," agreed instantly.
But Clara hadn't surrendered. Before Lily was dropped off at Margaret’s luxury apartment, Clara equipped her daughter’s favorite teddy bear with a microscopic, military-grade hidden camera and audio transmitter, linked directly to Clara’s smartphone and her lawyer's server.
Clara sat in a parked car across the street from Margaret’s building, her heart hammering against her ribs, watching the live video feed on her phone.
The feed showed Margaret sitting on the couch with Lily. Margaret’s face was no longer sweet; it was stern, cold, and demanding.
"You're a very sick girl, Lily," Margaret said on the audio feed, her voice dripping with artificial pity. "Your mommy is crazy, and she doesn't know how to take care of you. Only Grandma can fix you."
Margaret stood up, walked over to her kitchen cabinet, and pulled out a hidden prescription bottle from a hollowed-out cookbook. She poured a small yellow pill into a glass of chocolate milk.
"Drink this, my sweet angel," Margaret murmured, handing the glass to Lily. "This will make you sleepy, so the judge sees how sick you are tomorrow."
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"No," Lily whimpered, backing away on the couch. "Mommy said no more vitamins."
Margaret’s face contorted into a mask of pure, unbridled rage. She grabbed Lily roughly by the arm. "You will drink it! Do you want to end up like Julian? Drink it now, you ungrateful little wretch!"
