A woman’s voice came through.
“Elena?”
“Who is this?”
“Vanessa.”
My heart lurched.
“How did you get this number?”
“Please don’t hang up.”
I stood.
“Where are you calling from?”
“I need you to understand something.”
Her voice shook.
“Adrian told me you knew.”
I said nothing.
“He said Maya had a condition, that you were refusing treatment because you didn’t want to lose control of the trust money.”
I felt rage rising.
“You drugged my daughter.”
Silence.
Then a sob.
“I was told the medication had been prescribed.”
“By whom?”
“Adrian brought paperwork.”
“Did you verify it?”
She didn’t answer.
My hands were shaking.
“Maya came home unconscious four times. She had bruises. She cried because she was hurting.”
“I know.”
Those two words were unbearable.
“You knew?”
“I knew by the third visit that something wasn’t right.”
“Then why didn’t you stop?”
Vanessa began crying harder.
“Adrian said he’d destroy me if I didn’t cooperate.”
