Chapter 1: The Confrontation and The Missing Medication

The sudden silence in the living room was deafening. Diane blinked, looking up from her recliner, her smooth expression fracturing for a fraction of a second before her mask of maternal authority slid back on.

"Ethan, what on earth is wrong with you?" Diane snapped, setting her smoothie down. "We were watching that!"

Ethan didn't answer. He stood there, the heavy TV power cord dangling from his hand like a weapon. His eyes, usually warm and patient, were dead and cold.

"Where is Olivia’s medication?" Ethan’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a dangerous, vibrating chill that made Courtney instantly freeze her scrolling.

"How should we know?" Vanessa rolled her eyes, tossing her new iPhone onto the couch. "She probably misplaced it herself. She’s been so forgetful lately. Honestly, Ethan, she’s ruining the vibe of this house."

"Ruining the vibe?" Ethan took a step forward. "My wife is upstairs with dangerously high blood pressure because she has been scrubbing your grease for three months. She missed her 8:00 PM dosage of preeclampsia medication. The pharmacy said it was delivered at noon. Who signed for it?"

Madison shifted uncomfortably, avoiding his gaze.

Ethan’s heart sank. He walked over to the trash can near the kitchen, tipped it over, and dumped the contents onto the expensive hardwood floor. Among the burger wrappers and takeout boxes, a small, white paper pharmacy bag rolled out.

It was torn open. The prescription bottle inside was completely empty.

"What did you do?" Ethan whispered, looking at his mother.

Diane sighed, adjusting her blanket. "Ethan, calm down. Those pills make her sleepy and useless. I took them. I threw them out. She needs to stay active! Back in my day, women worked fields until the day they gave birth. She’s using this pregnancy to be lazy and leech off your hard work."

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"You... threw them out?" Ethan’s voice cracked, not from sadness, but from pure, unadulterated rage. He looked at his sisters, who were smirking, and his mother, who felt entirely untouchable in the house he paid for.

Ethan pulled out his phone and pressed a button. "Things are going to change in this house tonight. Starting right now."