Wesley grabbed his car keys and started toward the door. Just as he reached the handle, Cassandra’s phone vibrated on the table.

It was a message from a number she didn’t recognize. There was only one photo attached to the message.

It was a picture of the nursery Cassandra had been decorating for months. The room was a complete disaster, with clothes ripped and the crib overturned.

Below the image was a short, terrifying sentence. “If you talk to him, you won’t find anything left tomorrow.”

Cassandra felt the blood drain from her face as she showed the phone to Wesley. Wesley gripped the device so hard that his knuckles turned white.

He finally understood that his mother hadn’t just crossed a line. She had completely destroyed the bridge back to her family.

Wesley did not return to the house as a submissive son. He returned as a husband who was ready to protect his own blood.

Before he left Jenna’s place, he asked her to stay by Cassandra’s side every second. He then called his cousin, Simon, who was a practicing attorney in town.