Chapter 10 - Behind the Mask
The click of the steel handcuffs was the sweetest sound Clara had ever heard.
Sarah struggled violently, her carefully cultivated persona shattering into venomous rage. ""Do you know who I am? I have four million followers! You are ruining my life! Let go of me!""
""You're being charged with aggravated child abuse, attempted second-degree murder, and felony healthcare fraud,"" the officer said calmly, pushing her down against the edge of the dresser as he tightened the cuffs. ""You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.""
As they dragged Sarah toward the door, she caught Clara’s eye. Her face was contorted with pure, unadulterated hatred. ""You think you saved him?"" she hissed through clenched teeth. ""He was nothing before me! Just garbage left behind by my dead sister! I made him worth millions!""
Clara didn't answer. She simply walked over to the iPad lying face-up on the floor. The stream was still active. The view count was currently sitting at 8.4 million people. Every single comment scrolling past was an expression of horror, disgust, and betrayal:
My God, she was poisoning him.Call the FBI!We funded this.I gave her my rent money...
Clara picked up the device, looked directly into the tiny black lens, and spoke in a clear, unbroken voice:
""He was never your content. He was just a little boy who wanted a bowl of warm soup.""
With a single tap of her thumb, Clara terminated the broadcast, plunging the screen into darkness.
Sean touched her shoulder gently. ""The ambulance is rolling. We need to go.""
They ran down the stairs and reached the driveway just as the ambulance turned on its sirens, speeding out of the gates toward Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Clara and Sean jumped into their rental car, following the flashing red and blue lights through the morning heat.
Two hours later, Toby was settled into the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit under round-the-clock armed guard. Central lines ran into his neck and arms, delivering beta-blockers, fluids, and broad-spectrum antibiotics to reverse the damage done by the synthetic hormones.
Clara sat in the bedside chair, refusing to leave even after her shift should have ended hundreds of miles away. Toby was asleep, his breathing slow and supported by a gentle nasal cannula. The harsh, hollow look on his face had begun to soften.
The door clicked open, and Sean walked in holding two paper cups of water. He handed one to Clara and stood by the bed, looking down at the sleeping child.
""The county attorney just filed for an emergency revocation of all custodial rights,"" Sean said softly. ""Sarah is being held without bail. The FBI has frozen every single bank account associated with the Little Warrior Foundation.""
Clara took a sip of the cold water, feeling the exhaustion settling deep into her bones. ""And Toby? Where does he go when he wakes up?""
Sean looked at her, a strange, hesitant expression crossing his face. ""That’s the problem, Clara. There is no other family. The state will place him in emergency foster care the moment he's discharged.""
May you like
Before Clara could speak, Toby’s eyelids fluttered open. His little hand reached out across the stiff sheets, his fingers brushing against Clara’s scrub sleeve.
""Clara?"" he whispered, his hazel eyes wide and completely clear for the first time. ""Are the cameras gone?""
