“Devin, there’s something else. The night before you came home, Stephanie made me trace my signature onto blank sheets. She said they were medical consent forms, in case I went into labor early.”

“Did they threaten you again?”

“Raymond kept Samuel in the dining room and said he’d call social services to report that I was hurting him. They’d even drawn fake bruises on his skin with makeup.”

From the bed, Samuel spoke softly. “Grandpa said I couldn’t take a warm bath, because it would wash the marks off.”

I knelt beside him. “Did anyone actually hurt you, buddy?”

“No. But they wanted me to lie so Mom would get in trouble.”