Chapter 3 - The Web UnravelsWithin forty-eight hours, the Chatham County Magistrate set bail for Celeste, Raymond, and Brianna at astronomical amounts due to flight risk and the felony nature of the child cruelty charges.
Raymond's country club associates refused to post bond. Celeste’s society friends deleted her from their committees. Desperate, Brianna managed to scrape together enough cash through a predatory bail bondsman using her jewelry as collateral, securing a temporary release while Celeste and Raymond remained locked behind bars.
That evening, I was at my apartment unpacking groceries when a frantic banging echoed through the front door.
I checked the security camera. It was Brianna, her hair disheveled, her expensive clothes stained and crumpled.
I stepped outside, keeping the heavy security gate locked firmly between us. Two security officers hired by Daniel watched from the hallway corner.
"Amelia! You have to stop this!" Brianna sobbed, gripping the iron bars. "Mom is having panic attacks in county lockup! Dad’s blood pressure is through the roof! The jail doctors won't even give him his imported supplements!"
"They should have thought about their health before they left Teddy on burning rocks in ninety-eight-degree heat," I said calmly.
"It was just gravel, Amelia! You're ruining my entire life over an overreaction!" Brianna shrieked, her mask slipping completely. "Julian won't answer my calls! His father sent a courier demanding the three hundred thousand dollars back or they'll sue me for fraud! Do you realize what you've done to me?!"
"I didn't forge the deed, Brianna. You and Mom did. You used my son's pain to try and extort my property."
"We are family! You're supposed to protect us!"
May you like
"Teddy is my family," I said quietly. "You are just a stranger facing the consequences of your own cruelty."
I signaled the security guards. As they escorted my screaming sister toward the elevator, I turned back inside to my quiet home. In the bedroom, Teddy was sleeping peacefully, his bandaged legs resting on a soft pillow, Pickles safely tucked beneath his arm.
Related Stories
