CHAPTER 2 — The Medication That Disappeared
The silence felt heavier than shouting.
"What are you doing?" Diane asked.
Ethan calmly placed the television cord on the coffee table.
"I have one question."
Nobody answered.
"Where is Olivia's blood pressure medication?"
His mother frowned.
"I don't know."
Vanessa shrugged.
"I've never seen it."
Courtney rolled her eyes.
"Ask your wife."
Madison laughed.
"Maybe she forgot."
Ethan didn't move.
"I already asked."
His voice became colder.
"She said she left it in the kitchen cabinet this morning."
Nobody spoke.
Then Ethan slowly walked into the kitchen.
He opened every cabinet.
Nothing.
He checked the refrigerator.
Nothing.
The medicine was gone.
He searched the trash.
Nothing.
A terrible feeling settled in his stomach.
He walked back into the living room.
"This medication doesn't disappear by itself."
Still silence.
Then Madison suddenly spoke.
"Oh..."
Everyone looked at her.
"I think I threw away a little white bottle this afternoon."
The room froze.
"You what?"
"I thought it was expired vitamins."
Ethan's face went pale.
"Did you read the label?"
"No..."
"Did you ask Olivia?"
"No."
"Did you even think?"
Madison folded her arms defensively.
"Why are you acting like it's a big deal?"
Before Ethan could answer, Olivia slowly appeared at the top of the stairs.
She looked frightened.
"I found the bottle."
Everyone turned.
She held it in shaking hands.
"The label was peeled off."
Ethan frowned.
"What?"
"I found it hidden behind the cleaning supplies."
The room became perfectly still.
Hidden.
Not lost.
Hidden.
His eyes slowly moved across every face.
Nobody would meet his gaze.
Finally...
Courtney whispered,
"It wasn't me."
Vanessa immediately replied,
"I didn't touch it."
Madison looked at the floor.
Only Diane remained completely calm.
She quietly crossed her arms.
"Maybe she misplaced it herself."
Olivia lowered her head.
"I know where I keep my medicine."
Diane smiled politely.
"Pregnancy makes women forgetful."
That sentence snapped something inside Ethan.
He looked directly at his mother.
"Did you move it?"
She smiled again.
"I was cleaning."
"Answer me."
"I don't appreciate your tone."
"Did..."
"You..."
"Move..."
"My wife's medication?"
The room felt frozen.
Finally Diane sighed.
"I put it somewhere safe."
"Why?"
"I didn't want her relying on pills."
The color drained from Ethan's face.
"The doctor prescribed those."
"I raised three children without medication."
Olivia quietly whispered,
"My doctor said missing doses could hurt the baby."
Nobody breathed.
Ethan looked at his mother for several seconds.
Then he quietly reached into his pocket.
He pulled out his phone.
Opened his banking app.
And smiled.
Not with happiness.
With absolute certainty.
May you like
"Things are going to change tonight."
Nobody yet understood what those words truly meant.
