Chapter 5 - Unraveling the Blanket
The backyard seemed to hold its breath as the artificial blue pool lights hummed softly overhead. Julianne stepped back, her brown heels clicking in rapid, erratic succession against the flagstone patio, pressing her back against the glass sliding doors of the mansion. Her face was contorted in a mask of pure desperation, her arms locked fiercely around the white bundle held tightly against her chest.
“Stay away from him!” Julianne screamed, the restraint entirely gone from her voice now. “He is mine! You all want to take him away from me just like everything else!”
Eleanor held her ground, her arms uncrossed at last, her hands extended in a placating gesture. “Julianne, nobody is taking a child. Just let David see the baby. Let us make sure he’s alright after falling near the water.”
“He didn’t fall!” David yelled, stepping forward with a sudden burst of energy that startled even Clara, who was still kneeling on the damp ground. David reached out and grabbed the edge of the white blanket before Julianne could twist away.
With a swift, desperate tug, David pulled the blanket open.
There was no baby inside.
Instead, the white fabric fell away to reveal a heavy porcelain vase, wrapped meticulously in a pink baby onesie to mimic the weight and shape of an infant. The silence that followed was deafening. The cool night wind rustled the leaves in the nearby oak trees, mocking the absurdity of the scene.
Eleanor staggered back a half-step, her hand flying to her mouth in utter disbelief. She looked from the empty blanket to Julianne, whose chest was heaving beneath the maroon dress.
“Where is he, Julianne?” David whispered, his voice cracking as tears finally spilled over his lashes. “Where is our actual son?”
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Julianne stared down at the porcelain vase cradled in her arms, a vacant, terrifying smile slowly spreading across her lips. “He’s safe,” she whispered softly, her eyes unfocused. “In the deep end. Where nobody can ever interrogate him again.”
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