Chapter 2 - The Bottles Beneath The Bed
The room went silent.
The only sound was my mother’s uneven breathing.
I stared at the pill bottles scattered across the bed.
Different labels.
Different dates.
Some unopened.
Some expired.
None of them matched Florence’s current treatment plan.
Gwendolyn moved toward the bag.
“Give me that.”
Her voice was no longer calm.
It was demanding.
I held it away.
“No.”
She forced a laugh.
“You’re being emotional.”
I looked at my mother’s bruises.
“No. I’m finally paying attention.”
That sentence hurt her.
Because Gwendolyn had always relied on one thing.
Everyone believing her.
She had been Florence’s caregiver for almost a year.
She knew every doctor.
Every schedule.
Every weakness.
And I had trusted her.
A doctor arrived after my emergency call.
He examined my mother’s arm carefully.
Then he picked up one bottle.
His expression changed.
“This medication shouldn’t be here.”
I looked at him.
“What does that mean?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
That scared me more.
Then Florence whispered.
“She stopped giving me what the doctor prescribed.”
Gwendolyn froze.
For the first time, she looked afraid.
Not angry.
May you like
Afraid.
📖 Chapter 3 reveals why Florence stayed silent and the first secret Gwendolyn desperately tried to protect. 👇
