Fearing another p, Cora turned and fled the room.


    Hannah sank into the plush armchair, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose, trying to soothe the throbbing tension there.


    After a moment, she opened her eyes, reached over, and stopped the small recording device on her desk. She then pulled up the security footage, found the clip of Cora tampering with her milk, and printed out several screenshots.


    She had assumed Lionel would be with Sandra and wouldn''t be home untilte, but he walked in shortly before five.


    He entered the dining room to find Hannah already eating. He frowned but said nothing, pulling out a chair and sitting down.


    Hannah finished her meal and set down her silverware. "When you''re done, meet me in the study. We need to talk."


    Standing nearby, Cora''s heart skipped a beat. A cold dread washed over her.


    Damn it. Sandra really screwed me this time.


    She gritted her teeth, trying to appear calm.


    She was about to try and exin herself to Lionel, but the moment Hannah spoke, he put down his fork and followed her upstairs.


    As soon as Lionel entered the study, a handful of photos hit him in the face.


    He instinctively caught one as the others fluttered to the floor around his feet. "What is this?" he asked, looking down at the picture in his hand.


    It was a security camera screenshot of Cora sprinkling something into a ss of milk.


    "What is this? Are you blind, Lionel? Can''t you see? She drugged my milk this morning! That''s why I was so tired in the car!"


    Hannah''s voice was sharp with fury. "The two of you, working together, lying to get me out of the house. You were so afraid I''d figure out where we were going and jump out of the carthat you had me drugged Bravo!"


    Drugged. The word hit him like a punch to the gut.


    He had thought it was strange that she had fallen asleep so quickly, but he had


    been so preupied with the trip to the orphanage that he hadn''t given it a second thought.


    "I''ll have her thrown out of this house immediately. She will never set foot in here again."


    Hannahughed, a bitter, broken sound. "Lionel, are you really that clueless, or are you just pretending? Only you and Sandra knew you were taking me to the orphanage. How would Cora have known? Why would she have drugged me? Have you even stopped to think about it for one second?"


    Her voice rose with each word. "Or do you know perfectly well that Sandra was behind it, but you can''t bring yourself to admit it, so you''re just avoiding the subject?"


    Lionel stared d at her, stunned by her


    explosive reaction, at the way she pointed a trembling finger at the


    photos scattered on the floor.


    dawning horror began to


    over


    him. This was far more serious than he had realized.


    Seeing his stunned silence, Hannah bit her lip, the fire in her chest burning hotter.


    She took a deep, ragged breath and tilted her head back, her eyes filled with a mixture of despair, helplessness, and a profound, crushing disappointment in him.


    Without another word, she picked up the recording device from her desk and pressed y.


    Their argument from that afternoon filled the silent room, the audio so clear that even the sound of the two ps was sharp and distinct.


    Neither of them spoke as the recording yed. When it finished, Hannah hurled the device at him.


    It bounced off his chest and fell to the floor, rolling to a stop at her feet.


    She brought her heel down on it, and it shattered with a sharp crack.


    "You probably don''t know this, Lionel, but the orphanage you went to today... that''s the one I grew up in."


    Hannah''s eyes were dead as she walked toward him.