Chapter 2: The Defense
I stared at her.
“What lesson?”
“He threw his lunch.”
My hands trembled as I opened the clasp.
Diane sighed.
“I told him children who behave like animals should eat like animals.”
For one terrible second, I could not speak.
“You chained my son?”
“Oh, Emily.”
She rolled her eyes.
“It was loose.”
I pulled the chain away and threw it across the room.
It struck the dryer with a metallic crash.
Noah crawled straight into my lap.
His little arms locked around my neck.
“Grandma said bad boys stay by the dog.”
I felt something inside me tear open.
I stood with him in my arms.
Diane stepped forward.
“Give him to me. He still needs to apologize.”
I slapped her hand away.
“Do not touch him.”
Her eyes widened.
“You just hit me.”
“You reach for him again and that will be the least of your problems.”
Her expression hardened.
“You are exactly why he behaves this way.”
I could barely hear her over the pounding in my ears.
“You are never being alone with my child again.”
The front door opened.
Footsteps crossed the hallway.
Ryan appeared seconds later.
My husband looked from me to his mother.
Then to Noah.
Then to the chain on the floor.
Diane immediately burst into tears.
“She attacked me.”
I could not believe it.
Ryan hurried to her.
“Mom?”
“She slapped my hand.”
Ryan turned toward me.
“Emily, what happened?”
I almost laughed.
“What happened?”
I pointed toward the chain.
“Your mother tied Noah beside the dog bowls.”
Ryan’s face tightened.
Diane wiped imaginary tears from her cheeks.
“He was having another tantrum.”
“He is four.”
“He threw food at me.”
“So you treated him like an animal?”
Ryan rubbed his forehead.
“Emily, calm down.”
I stared at him.
“No.”
“Everyone is upset.”
“No, Ryan. Your mother chained our child to a pipe.”
He looked uncomfortable.
But not shocked.
That was the first thing I noticed.
He was not shocked.
He sighed.
“Mom’s discipline can be old-fashioned.”
I actually stopped breathing.
“Old-fashioned?”
“Noah has been difficult lately.”
My son tightened his arms around me.
I looked at the man I had married seven years earlier.
“You think this is discipline?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You just defended it.”
Diane stepped beside him.
“He needs structure.”
“He needs safety.”
Ryan lowered his voice.
“Emily, you have a tendency to overreact.”
Something cold moved through me.
Not rage.
Clarity.
May you like
Then Noah whispered against my shoulder.
“Daddy knows.”
