Chapter 3: The Family Therapy Sessions and the Secret About the Ex-Boyfriend
The next few weeks were a blur of hospital visits, therapy sessions, and court hearings. Jake took a leave of absence from his job at Marlow Properties, so he could stay home with Toby and Lila, helping them heal from the trauma of being poisoned by their own mother. He also started attending family therapy sessions with Toby and Lila, to help them work through their grief and anger, to help them learn to trust again. At first, Toby and Lila were scared to talk about what had happened, scared to mention Emily’s name, scared to think about the day she’d poisoned them. But slowly, over the course of the therapy sessions, they started to open up, telling Jake about the way Emily had acted in the weeks leading up to the poisoning, about the way she’d been more anxious than usual, about the way she’d been staying up late at night, about the way she’d been drinking more wine than usual. They also told Jake about the way Emily had told them that she loved them, that she would never hurt them, that she was their mommy, and that they should never tell anyone about the things she’d done. Jake felt a wave of guilt wash over him every time Toby and Lila told him about Emily’s lies, every time they told him about the way she’d acted in the weeks leading up to the poisoning. He’d been so busy with work, so busy with making money, that he’d missed all the signs, all the little things that had told him that something was wrong with Emily. He’d noticed that she’d been more anxious than usual, that she’d been staying up late at night, that she’d been drinking more wine than usual, but he’d brushed it off as stress from the kids’ school and the house. He’d thought that she just needed a break, that he’d take her on a vacation soon, but he’d been wrong. So, so wrong. One day, during a family therapy session, Toby looked up at Jake, his eyes filled with tears, and he said, “Daddy, why did Mommy do this? Why would she hurt us?” Jake pulled Toby into a hug, crying uncontrollably, as he told him that he didn’t know, that he was just as confused and hurt as he was, that he’d never stop loving him and Lila, that he’d never let anyone hurt them ever again. Just then, the therapist asked Jake if he wanted to talk about Emily’s past, about the things that had happened to her before they’d gotten married, about the way she’d acted in the years leading up to the poisoning. Jake hesitated for a moment, before telling the therapist about the way Emily had told him that she’d had a difficult childhood, that her parents had divorced when she was a child, that she’d been raised by her mother, that she’d never had a good relationship with her father. He also told the therapist about the way Emily had told him that she’d had a boyfriend before they’d gotten married, a man named Ryan who had been abusive to her, that she’d left him and moved to Chicago to start a new life. The therapist nodded, and she told Jake that Emily’s past might have played a role in what had happened, that she might have been struggling with mental health issues, that she might have been using the poisoning as a way to get attention, to get help, to escape from her own pain. Jake thought about the way Emily had acted in the weeks leading up to the poisoning, about the way she’d been more anxious than usual, about the way she’d been staying up late at night, about the way she’d been drinking more wine than usual, and he realized that she might have been struggling with depression or anxiety, that she might have been using the poisoning as a cry for help. But he also knew that that didn’t excuse what she’d done, that she’d poisoned her own children, that she’d tried to kill them, that she’d lied to him and to the police, that she’d put them through a living nightmare. A few days later, Jake decided to do some research on Emily’s past, to find out more about her ex-boyfriend, Ryan, to find out if he had anything to do with the poisoning. He pulled up Emily’s old social media profiles, looking for any posts or photos that might give him a clue about where Ryan was, about what he’d been doing in the years since they’d broken up. He found a post from Emily’s old friend, Sarah, who had tagged Ryan in a photo from a bar in downtown Chicago, a photo that had been taken two weeks before the poisoning. Jake’s blood ran cold, and he called Sarah, asking her if she knew where Ryan was living now, if she had any contact with him. Sarah told Jake that Ryan was living in a small apartment in downtown Chicago, that he’d been working as a bartender at a local bar for the last two years, that she’d seen him a few months before the poisoning, that he’d seemed angry and bitter, that he’d been talking about getting revenge on Emily for leaving him. Jake’s heart sank, and he realized that Ryan might have been involved in the poisoning, that he might have helped Emily poison Toby and Lila, that he might have been the one who’d given her the idea to poison them. He called the Oak Park police officers, telling them what he’d found out, and they agreed to talk to Ryan, to question him about the poisoning. A few days later, the police officers called Jake, telling him that they’d talked to Ryan, that he’d admitted that he’d been in contact with Emily in the weeks leading up to the poisoning, that he’d helped her get the oxycodone prescription, that he’d told her how to poison the kids, that he’d been planning to run away with her after the poisoning. Jake felt a wave of rage wash over him, and he called Emily’s lawyer, asking him to file for a divorce, to ask for full custody of Toby and Lila, to ask for a restraining order against Emily and Ryan. Emily’s lawyer told Jake that Emily had already hired a lawyer, that she was planning to fight for custody of Toby and Lila, that she was planning to claim that she was not guilty by reason of insanity, that she was struggling with mental health issues, that she didn’t know what she was doing when she’d poisoned the kids. Jake laughed, a sharp, bitter sound that made his lawyer flinch, and he told him that he didn’t care, that he’d do anything to keep Toby and Lila safe, that he’d never let Emily or Ryan near them ever again. He decided to hire the best family law attorney in Chicago, a woman named Linda who had a reputation for winning tough custody cases, who had helped hundreds of parents keep their kids safe from abusive partners. Linda told Jake that she’d take his case, that she’d fight for full custody of Toby and Lila, that she’d make sure that Emily and Ryan were held accountable for their actions, that she’d make sure that they never got near Toby and Lila ever again. Over the next few months, Jake and Linda worked together to build a case against Emily and Ryan, gathering evidence from the hospital, from the police, from Emily’s social media profiles, from Ryan’s friends and family. They also talked to Toby and Lila, helping them prepare to testify in court, helping them learn to talk about what had happened, helping them find the strength to face their mother and her ex-boyfriend in a courtroom. Jake thought about the way Emily had lied to him, about the way she’d poisoned his kids, about the way she’d tried to make it look like a stranger had done it, and he knew that he’d never be able to forgive her. He’d lost his wife, he’d lost the mother of his children, and he’d almost lost his kids, too. But he also knew that he had to be strong for Toby and Lila, that he had to give them the love and support they needed to heal, that he had to make sure that nothing like this ever happened again.
