Chapter 2 - The Doctor’s Verdict
The sirens were a distant wail that grew into a deafening roar,
cutting through the quiet suburban evening like a blade.
Dr. Aris,
the family’s physician for over a decade,
was the first to enter the room.
He didn't look at Gwendolyn,
who was sitting silently in the corner of the living room,
surrounded by two police officers.
He went straight to Florence,
his hands gentle as he began a thorough examination.
Lucas stood by the window,
watching the neighbors whisper behind their curtains.
The house he had worked so hard to build now felt like a crime scene.
"Lucas,
come here,"
Dr. Aris said,
his voice heavy with a grim realization.
Lucas walked to the bedside,
his heart hammering against his ribs.
The doctor pointed to a series of marks on Florence’s back,
hidden beneath the fabric of her nightgown.
They weren't just bruises;
they were pressure sores that had been neglected for weeks.
"She hasn't been turned,
Lucas,"
the doctor stated,
his jaw tight with anger.
"She’s been left in one position for hours,
maybe days at a time."
Then he picked up one of the unopened bottles from the floor.
"This medication was vital for her recovery after the stroke."
"Without it,
her blood is thickening,
increasing the risk of a second,
more fatal attack."
Lucas felt a surge of guilt that threatened to swallow him whole.
How had he not seen the signs?
How had he let a monster tell him that everything was fine?
"She looks malnourished,
too,"
Dr. Aris continued,
checking the hydration levels in Florence’s skin.
"She’s been given just enough to stay alive,
but not enough to heal."
The police officer,
a stern man named Sergeant Miller,
approached with a notepad.
"Mr. Weaver,
your wife claims that your mother has been refusing her food and medicine."
"She says the bruises are self-inflicted during her 'episodes'."
Lucas held up his phone,
his hand steady now.
"I have the video of her forcing my mother's jaw open."
"I have the recording of her calling her a burden and a parasite."
"And I have the bag of medication she hid so my mother would stay sick."
Sergeant Miller watched the video,
his expression hardening with every passing second.
"That's enough for me,"
he said,
motioning to his partner.
Gwendolyn began to scream as they pulled her from the chair.
"You can't do this!
I'm his wife!
I own this life as much as he does!"
"You own nothing but a prison cell,"
Lucas said,
not even looking her way as she was led out the door.
The house fell into a sudden,
eerie silence,
broken only by the sound of Florence’s labored breathing.
Dr. Aris pulled Lucas aside,
his eyes reflecting the gravity of the situation.
"There’s something else,
Lucas."
He reached into his medical bag and pulled out a small,
vial of clear liquid he had found on the bedside table.
"This isn't something I prescribed."
"It’s a powerful sedative,
the kind used in end-of-life care to keep patients quiet."
"Gwendolyn wasn't just neglecting her,"
the doctor whispered.
"She was drugging her into a stupor so she couldn't complain when you were home."
Lucas looked at the vial,
a small piece of glass that represented a total betrayal of humanity.
He realized then that the black bag and the medicine were just the beginning.
There was a reason Gwendolyn wanted Florence dead,
and it wasn't just about the burden of care.
May you like
It was about a secret buried in the property records,
a secret that was worth millions of dollars.
