Chapter 7 - The Forged Prison
The world tilted violently on its axis. Avery stared at her husband, the room spinning around her.
"Guardianship papers?" she whispered, the words tasting like copper and ash. "You forged my signature?"
Ethan turned the color of curdled milk, stammering pathetically. "It... it was just a precautionary filing, Avery! For insurance purposes while you were recovering in the hospital—"
"Sloane!" Avery screamed, cutting through his pathetic excuses.
Sloane was already pushing her way through the paralyzed crowd, holding her car keys in one hand and Avery's packed diaper bag in the other. "I'm right here, Avery! The car's running right out front!"
"You are not taking that child out of my house!" Brenda shrieked, losing all composure. She lunged forward like a striking viper, her manicured nails clawing directly toward Theo's swaddle blanket.
Grant moved with lightning speed, throwing his entire body between his mother and Avery, sending Brenda crashing hard against the white crib. "Run, Avery! Get out of here now!"
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Avery didn't look back. Clutching Theo safely against her chest, she bolted down the long corridor, burst through the front entrance, and sprinted down the driveway. Behind her, Ethan’s panicked shouts mingled with Brenda’s foul, unhinged obscenities echoing across the manicured lawns.
She dove into the back seat of Sloane's SUV, clicking Theo's car seat base into place with trembling, frantic fingers. Sloane slammed down on the accelerator, the tires screeching and smoking against the asphalt just as Ethan burst through the front gate, pounding his fists against the air in impotent rage.
