I froze as Tanya entered, her friendly expression gone. Her eyes locked on the bag in my hands.
“That’s not yours,” she said.
“No,” I replied, “but it’s not yours either.”
Tension filled the room as Tanya blocked the door and warned me to put the bag back. When she told me to “think about your mother,” I realized this wasn’t just theft—it was a calculated scheme putting residents at risk.
“The police will want to know why you have all these,” I said. For the first time, she looked uncertain.
I slipped past her and hurried to Sophie. Together, we went to the front desk, where I demanded to speak to the director and called the police. After giving my statement, I wondered how long residents had suffered in silence.
Outside, Sophie looked up and asked, “Did we help Grandma?”
I hugged her tightly. “Yeah, we did,” I whispered, hoping that now things would finally change.