Chapter 2 - THE FAMILY WAR
By 8:00 P.M. that evening, the emergency temporary intake center in Denver was buzzing with activity.
Because I was immediate family, cleared a background check on the spot, and possessed the physical means to care for them, the state granted me temporary emergency custody of all five children for seventy-two hours pending an official shelter hearing.
I took them straight to my cabin in the mountains—the very place we were supposed to meet as a family for vacation.
After feeding the kids hot soup, getting them showered, and tucking all five of them into the cozy pine-paneled bedrooms, I sat at the kitchen island, staring at my hands. My palms were still shaking.
Then my phone exploded.
It wasn't Ashley—her phone was still in airplane mode somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. It was my mother, Eleanor.
I picked up the phone and pressed it to my ear without saying a word.
"Megan Rose!" Eleanor screamed into the receiver, her voice shrill and laced with venom. "Have you lost your absolute mind?! The police called Greg's parents! They said there's a warrant being issued for child endangerment!"
"They abandoned five children at a rest stop on I-70, Mom," I said, my voice dangerously calm.
"They didn't abandon them! They left them for you!" Eleanor shrieked. "Ashley was exhausted! She’s been working so hard, and Greg planned a surprise trip for their ten-year anniversary! You don't have kids, Megan! You don't know how stressful it is to raise five children! Ashley needed a break!"
"A break?!" I slammed my hand onto the wooden counter, unable to contain the rage bubbling inside me. "She left a four-year-old beside a vending machine! What if I had been delayed by traffic?! What if I had arrived two hours late?! What if a predator had walked up to those kids while they were sitting on the curb?!"
"You were always coming to the cabin anyway!" Eleanor argued, completely ignoring the sheer danger of the situation. "You’re their aunt! It’s your duty to help family! But instead of being a supportive sister, you called CPS like a psychotic monster! Do you realize what you’ve done?! Ashley and Greg could lose their jobs! They could face criminal charges!"
"They should face criminal charges, Mom," I said coldly.
"If you don't drop those charges and tell the police it was a misunderstanding before their plane lands in Honolulu," Eleanor warned, her tone shifting from hysterical to sinister, "I will personally tell the judge that you are mentally unstable and that you set Ashley up. I will ruin you, Megan."
I stared at the phone in pure disbelief.
For thirty years, Ashley had been the golden child. When Ashley crashed her first car while driving under the influence in college, Mom paid off the damages and blamed the dark road. When Ashley quit her jobs, Mom secretly paid her rent. But I never imagined my mother’s toxic enablement would extend to covering up the abandonment of her own grandchildren.
"Mom," I said, my voice turning as cold as ice. "I recorded this phone call. If you attempt to perjury yourself or threaten me again, I will submit this audio directly to the district attorney. Do not call my phone again."
I hung up and blocked her number.
May you like
I walked over to the guest room doorway. Standing in the shadows was Carter, wearing an oversized t-shirt, clutching a glass of water.
He had heard every word.
