Samuel flinched. “It was an acc:ident.”

“No, son. It was the outcome of years of treating your mother like she doesn’t belong. Yesterday, it simply turned physical.”

I left him with one question: “If anyone treated your son the way Everly treats your mother, what would you do?”

His arms tightened around the baby. “I’d protect him.”

“Then why won’t you protect your mother?”

I walked away, only to overhear Everly on the phone:

“It’s perfect. We have the whole place to ourselves. The old woman stays upstairs, Steven’s easy to handle. Free house, free food, babysitting—it’s like winning the lottery. By the time they realize, we’ll have everything the way we want it.”