After years as a single mom, I found love again. Thomas entered our lives like a warm breeze, quickly bonding with my son, Toby. A year later, we married in a small ceremony. I finally felt our little family was complete.

One month in, Toby had a fever. I had a hospital shift, but Thomas stayed home, saying he didn’t feel well either. Hours later, I got a chilling call from Toby.

“Mommy… new dad’s acting weird. Like a robot.”

Terrified, I rushed home. Thomas was pale, drenched in sweat, barely responsive. A half-typed text on his phone read, “Fever came on hard. Something’s wrong…”

Paramedics rushed him to the hospital. I followed with Toby.

Tests showed it wasn’t just a virus. It was poisoning.

I remembered a strange tea Thomas had been drinking, gifted by a coworker named Evan. I brought it in for testing.

Two days later, results confirmed the tea contained foxglove extract—a dangerous plant toxin.

Police launched an investigation. Evan was found to be obsessively infatuated with Thomas and had tried to poison him out of jealousy.

Thomas spent weeks recovering. His kidneys were damaged, but he survived.

Toby was the hero. His words saved Thomas’s life.

Now, six months later, Thomas is healing. Evan awaits trial. And Toby—still cautious, observant, and endlessly kind—says he wants to be a doctor.

Or maybe a detective. Either way, he already saved a life. And in doing so, protected the family we fought so hard to build.