Chapter 5 - THE OTHER CHILD
I had spent hours looking at Liam as though he were part of the cruelty.
That was unfair.
He was four years old.
He did not choose Brooke.
He did not choose Victoria.
He did not ask to be dressed in expensive clothes while Leo crawled beneath the table.
Child Protective Services temporarily removed him from the house after Brooke was arrested for obstruction and evidence tampering.
Brooke’s mother refused to take him.
She said the scandal could damage her reputation.
That told me everything about where Brooke learned love.
Liam was brought to the same hospital for evaluation.
He was healthy but deeply anxious.
When he saw Leo through the playroom window, he began crying.
“He’s going to get punished.”
A social worker knelt beside him.
“Why?”
“Because he’s standing.”
Leo was not standing.
He was holding the edge of a therapy table while Dr. Ortiz encouraged him to put weight on his feet.
Liam continued.
“Grandma says Leo has to stay low.”
“Why?”
“Because animals don’t sit on couches.”
The social worker asked whether anyone hurt him.
Liam shook his head.
“They love me.”
The answer was heartbreaking in a different way.
He believed love was proven by watching another child suffer.
Brooke demanded custody from jail.
She claimed Liam had been traumatized by my return.
Dominic filed a similar petition through his attorney.
A paternity test was ordered because Dominic had represented himself as Liam’s father on financial documents.
The result shocked him.
Liam was not biologically related to Dominic.
Brooke had been pregnant when she began working as his secretary.
She allowed Dominic to believe the child was his because she wanted access to the Sterling family.
Victoria knew the truth.
A recovered message showed Brooke telling her before I left.
Victoria responded:
Blood is less important than usefulness.
Liam looks healthy.
He can become the grandson we show people.
Leo had become inconvenient.
His speech developed slowly.
He experienced sensory sensitivity.
He cried during crowded events.
Instead of seeking help, Victoria decided he embarrassed the Sterling name.
Brooke gave her a photogenic replacement.
Dominic accepted the illusion because it required less effort than parenting his own son.
When I learned the truth, I did not feel victory.
Liam had also been used.
He was praised conditionally.
Dressed as a symbol.
Positioned as a weapon against Leo.
I instructed Evelyn to request a safe foster placement with continued contact only if both children’s therapists approved.
“You want to help Brooke’s child?” Evelyn asked.
“I want the cycle to stop before another child believes cruelty is normal.”
Outside the therapy room, Leo placed one foot flat on the floor.
His leg shook violently.
He looked at me.
“Will you be mad if I fall?”
“No.”
“What if I can’t do it?”
“I will still be here.”
Leo slowly raised himself.
May you like
For two seconds, he stood.
Then he collapsed into my arms.
