Chapter 3 - The Fractured Front
Judge Alden stood up. He did not look at Judith. He looked at me. "Annalise, take your children into the library. Lock the door. I am calling the local sheriff’s department via the emergency satellite band. The roads may be blocked for vehicles, but they have snowmobiles for domestic crises."
"Judge, please," Trevor pleaded, his voice cracking. "It’s a family matter. My mother... she has high blood pressure, she isn't well—"
"Silence, Trevor," the Judge barked, a look of profound disgust marring his features. "I have known your family for twenty years. I tolerated your mother’s vanity because I believed she was merely an arrogant woman. I did not know she was a criminal, a child abuser, and a blackmailer. And you—staring at your plate while your daughter bled? You are a coward."
I didn't wait to hear the rest. I scooped Penny into my arms, her small body still trembling, and grabbed Colton by the shoulder. "Let's go, buddy," I whispered to him.
As we walked out, I passed Judith. The fearsome matriarch looked shrunken, her skin a pasty, sickly grey. She reached out a manicured hand to grab my dress. "You brought this ruin into my house," she hissed under her breath.
I leaned down, ensuring only she could hear me. "You built this house on glass, Judith. Don't be surprised that it finally shattered."
We locked ourselves in the library, a massive room lined with leather-bound books that smelled of old money and dust. I sat on the plush velvet sofa, rocking Penny while Colton sat beside me, his hands finally starting to shake as the adrenaline began to fade.
"You were so brave, Colton," I said, kissing the top of his head. "How did you find those files?"
"She thought because I’m a kid, I don't understand how computers work," Colton said, his voice small now, returning to that of an eight-year-old. "She had me set up her iPad apps. I saw the security logs. I saw what she did to Maria, and I saw what she did to Aunt Darlene last year when Uncle Grant wasn't looking. She threatens everyone, Mom. I was scared she was going to hurt you next."
"She will never hurt any of us again," I promised him, looking at the heavy oak door.
Outside, the storm raged, but inside, the true tempest was just beginning. Through the thick walls, we could hear the muffled sounds of shouting. Judith’s voice rose in screeching hysterics, followed by the deep, unyielding tones of Judge Alden.
About an hour later, a soft knock came at the door.
"Annalise? It’s me," Trevor’s voice called out. "Please open the door."
I stood up, telling Colton to stay with his sister. I opened the door just a crack, refusing to let Trevor inside. He looked pathetic. His tie was loosened, his hair disheveled, his eyes red.
"The Judge called the authorities," Trevor whispered. "They’re sending a rescue unit on snowmobiles. They’ll be here in two hours. Annalise... we need to talk about how we handle this. For the sake of the family name. If this gets out, my partnership at the firm—"
"Your partnership?" I laughed, a bitter, hollow sound. "Your daughter is bleeding, Trevor. Your mother assaulted a five-year-old child. And you are worried about your law firm partnership?"
"You don't understand the pressure!" he snapped, trying to push the door open, but I held my ground, my anger giving me a strength I didn't know I possessed. "My mother controls the family trusts! If she goes down, she takes all of us with her! We lose the house, the capital, everything!"
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"Then you lose it," I said, staring into the eyes of the man I had once loved, now seeing only an empty shell. "Because tonight, you lost your family."
I slammed the door in his face and turned the key.
