Chapter 4
"Maya... please," Andrew stammered, raising both hands in a desperate, placating gesture. "You don't understand the pressure Mother was under—she lost her temper, it was an accident—"
"An accident?" Maya repeated. She took one slow, measured step toward him, the heavy silk of her floor-length gown whispering over the tiles. "She held our child down by her shoulders, Andrew. She listened to her scream, and she carved away her hair like she was slaughtering a sheep. And when you walked through the door, you smiled and told her it was good."
"You assaulted my mother!" Andrew suddenly shouted, his voice cracking with panicked defiance as he tried to rally his courage. "Look at what you did to her! In front of a physician! I can have you arrested for aggravated assault! I can have you stripped of custody before the sun goes down!"
"Arrested?" A faint, terrifying smile touched the corners of Maya's lips. It was a cold, devastating expression that made Dr. Cole retreat another step toward the corner. "You think you can threaten me with municipal police, Andrew? You think the Whitaker name buys you immunity in this city?"
"I am a Whitaker!" Elaine finally shrieked from the counter, tears of sheer humiliation now streaming down her cheeks, smearing her makeup. She clutched the bald strip on her head, her body trembling with unhinged fury. "My husband sits on the judicial committee! My family built the hospital you're standing in! You are an outsider, Maya! A girl with no pedigree, no family, and no manners! You will rot in a women's facility for this!"
"Dr. Cole," Maya said softly, never breaking eye contact with Andrew.
"Yes, Maya?" the pediatrician whispered, her voice tight with shock.
"Document the lacerations on Lucy's scalp," Maya instructed calmly. "Take forensic photographs. Record the date, the time, and the admission that Elaine Whitaker used these clippers on a three-year-old child. If a single detail is omitted from that report, I will buy this medical group by noon and fire your entire board."
"I... I will document everything, Maya," Dr. Cole replied immediately, reaching for the digital camera in her drawer. "I am a mandatory reporter under state law. Child Protective Services will be notified within twenty minutes."
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"You dare report us?!" Elaine screeched, lunging forward a step, but Maya’s gaze flicked to her, and the older woman halted as if she had struck an electric fence.
"You speak another word in front of my daughter, Elaine," Maya whispered, "and I will finish the other side of your head with a straight razor."
