Chapter 2

The next morning, Dad left the house with the sealed onesie.

He went to the local precinct to file an initial incident report. The desk officer told him to keep the onesie sealed and safe; if any new, direct evidence surfaced, the police would take it all in and send it to the state crime lab for testing.

After he left, Mom paced the living room, her fingers unconsciously patting my back in a rhythmic, anxious motion.

Instead of a call from Dad, her phone rang with a call from Grandma Margaret.

The loud ringtone shattered the quiet living room, making Mom jump. She stared at the caller ID, hesitated for a long moment, and finally answered.

"Mom."

"Helen, what the hell was that display yesterday?" Grandma Margaret’s voice was fast and aggressive. "Cole just wanted to hold the baby. It's perfectly normal for infants to be fussy. But you two? You embarrassed him in front of everyone, making it look like he did something to Sophie!"

Mom’s face paled. "Mom, it wasn't like that. Sophie’s reaction was completely abnormal."

"Abnormal how? You're suspecting your own nephew just because your baby cried a little?" Grandma Margaret’s voice grew sharper. "He’s your brother’s only boy! You practically raised him! He came home crying his eyes out. Are you out of your mind, humiliating him over a fussy baby?"

Mom’s lips began to tremble. "Mom, the situation yesterday was different, and—"

"And what? Are you actually suspecting him?!" Grandma Margaret shrieked. "After everything I've done for you, this is how you repay me? Cole is the only grandson in this family!"

What followed was a relentless barrage of toxic guilt-tripping—who sacrificed what for the family, who took care of whom, and who was being wronged.

Mom’s face grew whiter by the second. She tried to speak, but Grandma Margaret didn't give her an inch.

"I don't care. You are going to call Cole today and apologize. And at the next family dinner, you will act like absolutely nothing happened. Do you hear me?"

With that, she hung up.

Mom stood frozen, the phone still pressed to her ear, as silent tears rolled down her cheeks.

Right then, Dad walked through the front door.

He took one look at Mom crying and quickly closed the distance between them. "What's wrong?"

As if finally finding her anchor, Mom choked out everything Grandma Margaret had said.

Dad’s brow knitted into a fierce scowl. "Apologize for what?"

He paused, his voice steadying into ice. "Erin’s advice was clear. We keep the clothes safe. If more evidence comes up, the police will take it and run the tests. She said even if a baby just licks hard liquor, the consequences could be fatal."

Mom swayed on her feet. Dad quickly caught her by the shoulders.

"He wouldn't... Cole has no reason to do something like that..." She was fighting her last desperate battle against the truth.

Dad didn't push her. He simply said, "Hotel security has secured the surveillance footage from the banquet room. Once the police officially open a case, they'll subpoena it. Even if the cameras didn't catch everything, we can't just sit here and do nothing."

That afternoon, Helen’s brother, Thomas, and his wife, Laura, took turns calling.

Their tone was slightly softer than Grandma Margaret’s, but the message was exactly the same.

Cole is just a teenager.

Boys are clumsy.

Don't blow this out of proportion, Helen. Don't turn a misunderstanding into a family-destroying feud.

Chapter 2

The next morning, Dad left the house with the sealed onesie.

After he left, Mom paced the living room, her fingers unconsciously patting my back in a rhythmic, anxious motion.

Instead of a call from Dad, her phone rang with a call from Grandma Margaret.

The loud ringtone shattered the quiet living room, making Mom jump. She stared at the caller ID, hesitated for a long moment, and finally answered.

"Mom."

Mom’s face paled. "Mom, it wasn't like that. Sophie’s reaction was completely abnormal."

Mom’s lips began to tremble. "Mom, the situation yesterday was different, and—"

"And what? Are you actually suspecting him?!" Grandma Margaret shrieked. "After everything I've done for you, this is how you repay me? Cole is the only grandson in this family!"

What followed was a relentless barrage of toxic guilt-tripping—who sacrificed what for the family, who took care of whom, and who was being wronged.

Mom’s face grew whiter by the second. She tried to speak, but Grandma Margaret didn't give her an inch.

"I don't care. You are going to call Cole today and apologize. And at the next family dinner, you will act like absolutely nothing happened. Do you hear me?"

With that, she hung up.

Mom stood frozen, the phone still pressed to her ear, as silent tears rolled down her cheeks.

Right then, Dad walked through the front door.

He took one look at Mom crying and quickly closed the distance between them. "What's wrong?"

As if finally finding her anchor, Mom choked out everything Grandma Margaret had said.

Dad’s brow knitted into a fierce scowl. "Apologize for what?"

Mom swayed on her feet. Dad quickly caught her by the shoulders.

"He wouldn't... Cole has no reason to do something like that..." She was fighting her last desperate battle against the truth.

That afternoon, Helen’s brother, Thomas, and his wife, Laura, took turns calling.

Their tone was slightly softer than Grandma Margaret’s, but the message was exactly the same.

Cole is just a teenager.

Boys are clumsy.

Don't blow this out of proportion, Helen. Don't turn a misunderstanding into a family-destroying feud.