When I opened that small, crumpled piece of paper, I never imagined those five words, scribbled in my daughter’s familiar handwriting, would change everything. Pretend to be sick and leave. I looked at her, confused, and she just shook her head frantically, her eyes begging me to believe her. It was only later that I found out why. The morning had started like any other in our house on the outskirts of Chicago. It had been just over two years since I married Richard, a successful businessman I met after my divorce. Our life seemed perfect in everyone’s eyes: a comfortable house, money in the bank, and my daughter, Sarah, finally had the stability she needed so much. Sarah was always an observant child, too quiet for her fourteen years. She seemed to absorb everything around her like a sponge. At first, her relationship with Richard was difficult, as expected from any teenager dealing with a stepfather, but over time they seemed to have found a balance. At least, that’s what I thought. That Saturday morning, Richard had invited his partners for brunch at our house. It was an important event. They were going to discuss the company’s expansion, and Richard was particularly anxious to impress them. I spent the whole week preparing everything, from the menu to the smallest details of the decoration. I was in the kitchen finishing the salad when Sarah appeared. Her face was pale, and there was something in her eyes I couldn’t immediately identify. Tension. Fear. “Mom,” she murmured, approaching like someone trying not to draw attention. “I need to show you something in my room.” Richard walked into the kitchen right then, adjusting his expensive tie. He always dressed impeccably, even for casual events at home. “What are you two whispering about?” he asked with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Nothing important,” I replied automatically. “Sarah is just asking for help with some school stuff.” “Well, be quick,” he said, checking his watch. “The guests arrive in thirty minutes, and I need you here to welcome them with me.” I nodded, following my daughter down the hall. As soon as we entered her room, she shut the door quickly, almost too abruptly. “What’s wrong, honey? You’re scaring me.” Sarah didn’t answer. Instead, she grabbed a small piece of paper from her desk and put it in my hands, glancing nervously at the door. I unfolded the paper and read the hurried words: Pretend to be sick and leave. Now. “Sarah, what kind of joke is this?” I asked, confused and a little annoyed. “We don’t have time for games. Not with guests about to arrive.” “It’s not a joke.” Her voice was just a whisper. “Please, Mom, trust me. You need to get out of this house now. Make up anything. Say you feel sick, but leave.” The desperation in her eyes paralyzed me. In all my years as a mother, I had never seen my daughter so serious, so scared. “Sarah, you’re alarming me. What is going on?” She looked at the door again, as if afraid someone was listening. “I can’t explain now. I promise I’ll tell you everything later. But right now, you have to trust me. Please.” Before I could insist, we heard footsteps in the hall. The doorknob turned, and Richard appeared, his face now visibly irritated. “What’s taking you two so long? The first guest just arrived.” I looked at my daughter, whose eyes were silently pleading. Then, on an impulse I couldn’t explain, I decided to trust her. “I’m sorry, Richard,” I said, bringing my hand to my forehead. “I suddenly feel a little dizzy. I think it might be a migraine.” Richard frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Right now, Helen? You were perfectly fine five minutes ago.” “I know. It just hit me suddenly,” I explained, trying to sound genuinely unwell. “You guys can start without me. I’m going to take a pill and lie down for a bit.” For a tense moment, I thought he was going to argue, but then the doorbell rang, and he seemed to decide that dealing with the guests was more important. “All right, but try to join us as soon as possible,” he said, leaving the room. As soon as we were alone again, Sarah grabbed my hands. “You’re not going to lie down. We’re leaving here right now. Say you need to go to the pharmacy to buy stronger medicine. I’ll go with you.” “Sarah, this is absurd. I can’t just abandon our guests.” “Mom,” her voice trembled. “I’m begging you. This isn’t a game. This is about your life.” There was something so raw, so genuine in her fear that I felt a chill run down my spine. What could have scared my daughter so much? What did she know that I didn’t? I quickly grabbed my purse and the car keys. We found Richard in the living room, chatting animatedly with two men in suits. “Richard, excuse me,” I interrupted. “My headache is getting worse. I’m going to the pharmacy to get something stronger. Sarah is coming with me.” His smile froze for an instant before he turned to the guests with an expression of resignation. “My wife isn’t feeling well,” he explained. “Be back soon,” he added, turning to me. His tone was casual, but his eyes conveyed something I couldn’t decipher. When we got in the car, Sarah was trembling. “Drive, Mom,” she said, looking back at the house as if expecting something terrible to happen. “Get away from here. I’ll explain everything on the way.” I started the car, a thousand questions spinning in my mind. What could be so serious? It was when she started talking that my entire world fell apart. “Richard is trying to kill you, Mom,” she said, the words coming out like a choked sob. “I heard him last night on the phone, talking about putting poison in your tea.” I slammed on the brakes, almost hitting the back of a truck stopped at the light. My entire body froze, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe, much less speak. Sarah’s words seemed absurd, like something out of a cheap thriller. “What, Sarah? That’s not funny at all,” I finally managed to say, my voice weaker than I would have liked. “Do you think I would joke about something like that?” Her eyes were watery, her face twisted in an expression mixing fear and anger. “I heard everything, Mom. Everything.” A driver behind us honked, and I realized the light had turned green. I automatically hit the gas, driving without a destination, just to get away from the house. “Tell me exactly what you heard,” I asked, trying to stay calm, still feeling my heart pound against my ribs like a caged animal. Sarah took a deep breath before starting. “I went downstairs for water last night. It was late, maybe two in the morning. Richard’s office door was slightly open, and the light was on. He was on the phone, whispering.” She paused, as if gathering courage. “At first, I thought it was about the company, you know, but then he said your name.” My fingers gripped the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white. “He said, ‘Everything is planned for tomorrow. Helen will drink her tea just like she always does during these events. No one will suspect a thing. It will look like a heart attack. You assured me?’ And then… then he laughed, Mom. He laughed like he was talking about the weather.” I felt my stomach churn. This couldn’t be true. Richard, the man I shared my bed with, my life, planning my end. It was too absurd. “Maybe you misunderstood,” I suggested, desperately searching for any alternative explanation. “Maybe it was about another Helen. Or maybe it was some kind of metaphor for a business deal.” Sarah shook her head vehemently. “No, Mom. He was talking about you, about the brunch today. He said with you out of the way, he would have full access to the insurance money and the house.” She hesitated before adding, “And he mentioned my name, too. He said that afterward, he would ‘take care of me,’ one way or another.” A coldness shot down my spine. Richard had always been so loving, so attentive. How could I have been so wrong? “Why would he do that?” I murmured, more to myself than to her. “The life insurance, Mom. The one you two took out six months ago. Remember? A million dollars.” I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. The insurance. Of course, Richard had insisted so much on that policy, saying it was to protect me. But now, in this new, sinister light, I realized it had been the other way around from the start. “There’s more,” Sarah continued, her voice almost a whisper now. “After he hung up, he started looking through some papers. I waited for him to leave and went into the office. There were documents about his debts, Mom. Lots of debts. It looks like the company is almost bankrupt.” I pulled the car over to the shoulder, unable to keep driving. Richard was bankrupt? How did I not know? “I also found this,” Sarah said, pulling a folded paper from her pocket. “It’s a statement from another bank account in his name. He’s been transferring money there for months—small amounts, so it wouldn’t raise suspicion.” I took the paper with trembling hands. It was true. An account I knew nothing about, accumulating what looked like our money—my money, actually, from the sale of the apartment I had inherited from my parents. The reality began to crystallize, cruel and undeniable. Richard wasn’t just bankrupt; he had been systematically stealing from me for months. And now, he had decided I was worth more gone than present. “Oh my god,” I whispered, feeling nauseous. “How was I so blind?” Sarah put her hand on mine, a gesture of comfort that seemed absurdly mature. “It’s not your fault, Mom. He fooled everyone.” Suddenly, a terrible thought struck me. “Sarah, did you take those documents from his office? What if he notices they’re missing?” The fear returned to her eyes. “I took pictures with my phone and put everything back. I don’t think he’ll notice.” But even as she said it, neither of us seemed convinced. Richard was meticulous. “We need to call the police,” I decided, grabbing my phone. “And say what?” Sarah challenged. “That he was talking about it on the phone? That we found documents showing he’s diverting money? We have no real proof of anything, Mom.” She was right. It was our word against his: a respected businessman against a hysterical ex-wife and a troubled teenager. As we weighed our options, my phone vibrated. A text from Richard: Where are you? The guests are asking for you. His message seemed so normal, so mundane. “What are we going to do now?” Sarah asked, her voice trembling. We couldn’t go back home. That was clear. But we couldn’t just disappear, either. Richard had resources. He would find us. “First, we need proof,” I finally decided. “Concrete proof we can take to the police.” “Like what?” “Like the substance he planned to use today.” The plan forming in my mind was risky, maybe even reckless. But as the initial terror gave way to a cold, calculating anger, I knew we had to act, and fast. “We’re going back,” I announced, turning the key in the ignition. “What?” Sarah’s eyes widened in panic. “Mom, have you lost your mind? He’s going to kill you!” “Not if I get to him first,” I replied, surprised by the firmness in my own voice. “Think with me, Sarah. If we run now without proof, what happens? Richard will claim I had a breakdown, that I dragged you off on some irrational impulse. He’ll find us, and we’ll be even more vulnerable.” I made a sharp U-turn, heading back towards our house. “We need concrete evidence. The substance he plans to use today is our best shot.” Sarah stared at me, her face a mixture of fear and admiration. “But how are we going to do it without him noticing?” “We’ll keep up the charade. I’ll say I went to the pharmacy, took a painkiller, and I’m feeling a little better. You’ll go straight to your room, pretending to be unwell, too. While I distract Richard and the guests, you search the office.” Sarah nodded slowly, her gaze determined. “And what if I find something? Or worse, what if he realizes what we’re doing?” I swallowed hard. “Send a text with the word ‘now.’ If I get it, I’ll make an excuse, and we’ll leave immediately. If you find something, take pictures, but don’t take anything.” As we got closer to the house, I felt my heart pound harder. I was about to walk into the lion’s den. When I parked in the driveway, I noticed there were more cars. All the guests had arrived. The murmur of conversations greeted us as soon as we opened the door. Richard was in the center of the living room, telling some story that was making everyone laugh. When he saw us, his smile faltered for just an instant. “Ah, you’re back,” he exclaimed, walking over and putting an arm around my waist. His touch, once comforting, now repulsed me. “Are you feeling better, dear?” “A little,” I replied, forcing a smile. “The medicine is starting to kick in.” “Good to hear.” He turned to Sarah. “And you, kiddo? You look a little pale.” “I have a headache, too,” Sarah mumbled, playing her part perfectly. “I think I’m going to lie down for a bit.” “Of course, of course,” Richard said, his concern so convincing that if I didn’t know the truth, I would have completely believed it. Sarah went upstairs, and I joined the guests, accepting a glass of water Richard offered. I refused the champagne, claiming it wouldn’t mix with the medicine. “No tea today?” he asked casually, and I felt a chill run down my spine. “I think not,” I replied, keeping my tone light. “I’m trying to avoid caffeine when I have a migraine.” Something darkened in his eyes for a brief moment, but it was gone as quickly as it came, replaced by his usual charm. As Richard guided me through the guests, I kept a fixed smile on my face, though inside I was on high alert. Every time he touched my arm, I had to fight the urge to pull away. Every smile he gave me now seemed loaded with sinister double meanings. Discreetly, I checked my phone. No message from Sarah yet. About twenty minutes later, as Richard and I were talking with a couple, my phone vibrated. A single word on the screen: Now. My blood ran cold. We needed to leave immediately. “Excuse me,” I said to the group, forcing a smile. “I need to check on how Sarah is feeling.” Before Richard could protest, I walked away quickly, almost running up the stairs. I found Sarah in her room, her face pale as paper. “He’s coming,” she whispered, grabbing my arm. “I realized he was coming upstairs and ran in here.” “Did you find anything?” I asked quickly, already pulling her towards the door. “Yes, in the office. A small, unlabeled bottle hidden in his desk drawer. I took pictures.” We had no more time. We heard footsteps in the hall and then Richard’s voice. “Helen? Sarah? Are you in there?” I exchanged a quick glance with my daughter. We couldn’t go out through the hall now. He would see us. The bedroom window overlooked the backyard, but we were on the second floor—a dangerous fall. “Stay where you are,” I whispered. “We’ll pretend we were just talking.” The door opened, and Richard walked in, his gaze immediately fixing on Sarah’s scared face. “Everything all right in here?” he asked, his tone casual, but his eyes alert, suspicious. “Yes,” I replied, trying to sound normal. “Sarah still has a headache. I came to see if she needed anything.” Richard studied us for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly. “I see. And you, dear, is the headache better?” “A little,” I lied. “I think I can go back to the party now.” He smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Excellent. By the way, I made that special tea you like. It’s waiting for you in the kitchen.” My stomach twisted. The tea. The trap he had mentioned on the phone. “Thank you, but I think I’ll pass today. The medicine…” “I insist,” he interrupted, his tone still friendly but with a new firmness. “It’s a new blend I ordered especially for you. It helps with headaches, too.” I realized then how dangerous our situation was. If I refused too vehemently, I would arouse suspicion. If I drank the tea, I would be in serious trouble. “Okay,” I finally agreed, trying to buy time. “I’ll just stay a few more minutes with Sarah.” Richard hesitated, as if debating internally, before nodding. “Don’t take too long.” As soon as he left, closing the door behind him, Sarah and I exchanged alarmed glances. “The tea,” she whispered. “He’s going to insist you drink it.” “I know,” I replied, feeling the panic rise. “We need to get out of here now, through the window if necessary.” But as we contemplated our escape, I heard something that made me freeze: the sound of a key turning in the lock, locking us in from the outside. Richard hadn’t just been watching us. He had trapped us. “He locked us in?” Sarah exclaimed, running to the door and trying to open it uselessly. Panic threatened to paralyze me, but I forced myself to think. If Richard had locked us in, it meant he suspected something. The window, I decided, moving quickly towards it. It was our only way out now. I looked down. It was a fall of about fifteen feet to the grass below. Not fatal, certainly, but dangerous. “It’s too high, Mom,” Sarah said, her face twisted in fear. “I know, honey, but we have no choice.” I looked around the room, and my eyes landed on the comforter on the bed. “We can use this as a makeshift rope.” I quickly tore it off and began tying it to the heavy base of the desk. It wouldn’t be long enough to get us to the ground, but it would reduce the height of the fall. “Mom,” Sarah called out softly, pointing towards the door. “He’s coming back.” Straining my ears, I realized she was right. Footsteps were approaching. “Quick,” I whispered, finishing the knot and throwing the comforter out the window. “You go first. Climb down as far as you can and then let go.” Sarah hesitated for only a second before positioning herself at the window. The footsteps were closer now. We heard the key being inserted into the lock. “Go!” I ordered. Sarah began to descend. I watched anxiously as she reached the end of the fabric, still about six feet from the ground. “Let go now!” I instructed, seeing the door begin to open. Sarah let go and fell onto the grass, rolling as I had told her. She quickly got up, giving a thumbs-up. There was no more time. Richard was entering the room. Without a second thought, I grabbed the comforter and launched myself out the window, sliding down the fabric so quickly it burned my hands. When I reached the end, I heard an furious scream from the room. “Helen!” Richard’s voice, unrecognizable with rage, made me let go without hesitation. I landed awkwardly, feeling a sharp pain in my left ankle, but the adrenaline was so high that I barely registered it. “Run!” I shouted to Sarah. Following my gaze, I saw Richard leaning out the window, his face contorted into a mask of fury. “He’s going down the stairs,” I warned, grabbing Sarah’s hand. “We need to be fast.” We ran through the backyard, limping towards the low wall that separated our property from the side street. We heard the sound of slamming doors and loud voices. Richard had alerted the guests, turning our escape into a public spectacle. We reached the woods, a small nature preserve. “The photos,” I remembered. “Do you still have them?” She nodded, pulling out her phone. The images showed a small, unlabeled amber bottle, and a sheet with Richard’s handwriting: a list with times and notes. 10:30 Guests arrive. 11:45 Serve tea. Effects in 15-20 min. Look concerned. Call ambulance at 12:10. Too late. It was a detailed timeline of my end. We heard distant voices. The search party. “Come on,” I urged. Finally, we spotted the small metal service gate. Locked. “Mom, your community key card,” Sarah said. I swiped it through the reader, praying it would work. The green light lit up, and the gate unlocked with a click. We came out onto a quiet street. We hailed a taxi and went to the Crest View Mall, a place busy enough not to draw attention. We sat in a secluded corner of a coffee shop. I picked up my phone and saw dozens of missed calls and messages from Richard. The last one read: Helen, please come home. I’m so worried. If this is about our argument yesterday, we can talk. Don’t do anything impulsive. I love you. The falseness of those words brought on a new wave of nausea. He was building his narrative. Another message arrived: I called the police. They are looking for you. Please, Helen, think of Sarah. My blood ran cold. He had involved the police, but as the concerned husband of an emotionally unstable woman. I called my friend from college, Francesca Navaro, a criminal lawyer. I explained everything. “Stay there,” she ordered. “I’m coming to get you. I’ll be there in thirty minutes. Don’t talk to anyone, especially not the police, until I get there.” While we waited, Sarah confessed she’d been suspicious of Richard for a while—small things, the way he looked at me when he thought no one was watching, cold and calculating. “You seemed so happy with him, Mom,” she said. “I didn’t want to ruin it.” Tears streamed down my face. My teenage daughter had realized the danger long before I did. Then, a new message from Richard: The police found blood in Sarah’s room. Helen, what did you do? He was framing me. Just then, two uniformed police officers walked into the coffee shop. The officers spotted us and approached our table. “Mrs. Helen Mendoza?” one of them asked. “Your husband is very worried about you and your daughter. He reported that you left the house in an altered state, possibly putting the minor at risk.” Before I could answer, Sarah intervened. “That’s a lie! My stepfather is trying to kill us! I have proof!” The officers exchanged skeptical glances. “Ma’am,” the younger one said to me, “your husband informed us that you might be going through psychological problems. He said you’ve had similar episodes before.” Rage bubbled up inside me. “That’s absurd! I’ve never had any episodes! My husband is lying because we uncovered his plans!” Sarah showed them the photos on her phone. “This is the bottle I found,” she said. “And this is the timeline he wrote.” The officers examined the photos, their expressions hard to read. “This looks like a common bottle,” the older one observed. “As for the paper, it could be any note.” Just then, Francesca arrived. “I see the police have already found you,” she said, immediately assessing the situation. She introduced herself as my lawyer and began to dismantle their assumptions. “My clients have photographic evidence of potentially lethal substances and written documentation suggesting a plan. Furthermore, the minor, Miss Sarah, overheard a phone conversation in which Mr. Mendoza explicitly discussed his plans.” “Mr. Mendoza mentioned blood found in the minor’s room,” the younger officer commented. Francesca didn’t flinch. “I suggest you return to the precinct and file a counter-complaint, which I am making right now: attempted murder, evidence tampering, and filing a false police report against Mr. Richard Mendoza.” The officers, now uncomfortable, agreed we would need to give a statement at the precinct. “Helen, the situation is worse than I imagined,” Francesca said in a low voice once they were gone. “Richard acted quickly. He’s building a case against you.” Then, my phone vibrated again. Richard: Helen, did the police find you? I’m coming to the mall now. I just want to help. “He’s coming here,” Francesca said, standing up. “We need to leave now. To the precinct. It’s the safest place.” At the precinct, Francesca led us directly to the commander’s office. “My clients are being threatened by Mrs. Mendoza’s husband,” she explained. “We have evidence that he planned to poison her today.” Just then, Richard entered, the perfect mask of concern on his face. “Helen! Sarah!” he exclaimed. “Thank God you’re safe!” The commander, Commander Rios, allowed him in. “Helen, why did you run off like that?” he asked, his confusion so convincing I almost doubted myself. “Mr. Mendoza,” Commander Rios interjected, “Mrs. Helen and her lawyer are filing a report against you for attempted murder.” Richard looked genuinely shocked. “This is absurd! Helen, what are you doing? Is this about that medicine? I already told you, it was just to help with your anxiety attacks.” He explained to the commander that I had been suffering from paranoia and that a “Dr. Santos” had prescribed a mild tranquilizer. His narrative was so plausible, so carefully constructed. “That’s a lie!” I replied, my voice trembling with rage. “I’ve never had anxiety problems! I’ve never visited this Dr. Santos!” “I heard everything,” Sarah said, looking Richard straight in the eye. “I heard you on the phone last night, planning to poison my mom. You wanted to kill my mom for the insurance money. You’re bankrupt. I saw the documents.” Before Richard could respond, an officer entered with an envelope. “Commander, we just received the preliminary forensics results from the Mendoza residence.” Commander Rios opened it, his expression grave. “Mr. Mendoza, you mentioned blood in the minor’s room. Correct?” “Yes,” Richard nodded. “I was frantic.” “Curious,” the commander continued. “Because according to this analysis, the blood found is less than two hours old, and the blood type does not match either Mrs. Helen or the minor.” He paused. “It matches your blood type, Mr. Mendoza. Which strongly suggests that it was you who placed it there.” A heavy silence fell. Richard turned pale. “Furthermore,” the commander went on, “we found this.” He pulled out a photo of the amber bottle. “Preliminary tests indicate the presence of a substance similar to arsenic. Not exactly something you’d expect to find in an anxiety medication, is it?” It was like watching a house of cards crumble. Richard stood up abruptly. “This is a setup! Helen must have planted this!” “When exactly would she have done that?” Francesca asked calmly. “Considering she and Sarah have been here for over two hours.” In that moment, the facade disappeared completely. His face twisted into an expression I had never seen before: pure malice, raw hatred, directed at me. “You stupid woman!” he screamed, lunging in my direction. “You ruined everything!” The officers grabbed him before he could reach me, but not before I finally saw the real Richard. “Did you really think I loved you?” he snarled, fighting against them. “A mediocre professor with a troubled teenager? You were worthless, except for your money and the life insurance!” As the officers dragged him out of the room, his screams echoing down the hall, a heavy silence fell. The trial was a media spectacle. The story of a husband planning to end his wife’s life for money, stopped only by the quick thinking of a brave teenager, captured the public’s attention. The investigation also revealed that I was not his first victim. There was another woman before me, a widow who died “naturally” six months after marrying him. He had inherited everything, spent it quickly, and then found his next prey: me. The sentence, when it finally came, was heavy: thirty years for attempted murder, plus fifteen years for financial fraud, with strong indications of involvement in the death of his ex-wife, which was still under investigation. Six months later, Sarah and I moved into a new apartment. One morning, while unpacking, I found a small, folded piece of paper between the pages of a novel. I immediately recognized Sarah’s handwriting, and the words transported me back to that crucial moment: Pretend to be sick and leave. I kept the note carefully in a small wooden box, a permanent reminder not only of the danger we faced, but also of the strength we found in ourselves to overcome it. A year passed. Francesca had become a close friend. One evening, she arrived with news: Richard’s first wife’s body had been exhumed, and they had found traces of arsenic. He would be tried for first-degree murder, likely resulting in a life sentence without parole. The sale of Richard’s assets also went through, and as restitution, half a million dollars was transferred to me. “A toast,” I said, raising my glass that evening. “To new beginnings.” As we savored our meal, talking about the future instead of the past, I realized that although the scars remained, they had become marks of survival, not just trauma. Richard had tried to destroy us, but in the end, his betrayal strengthened us in ways he could never have imagined. Our story needed to be told, not just as a warning, but as a message of hope: it’s possible to survive the worst of betrayals and rebuild. And sometimes, our salvation comes from where we least expect it, like a simple note, scribbled in a hurry by a teenager—five simple words that made all the difference between life and death.