Chapter 12 - My Mother’s Signature
I read Evelyn’s affidavit in Marcus’s office.
Line by line.
Rachel became emotionally distant after Daniel died.
True.
Grief does that.
Rachel prioritizes Navy obligations over family gatherings.
Sometimes true.
Rachel has a rigid temperament.
Subjective.
Rachel becomes angry when challenged regarding parenting.
Recently very true.
Then came the lie.
I have personally observed Rachel scream at Eli and physically intimidate him.
I looked up.
“My mother never saw that.”
Marcus nodded.
“I know.”
“She signed under oath.”
“Yes.”
I called Evelyn.
No answer.
I drove over.
She was packing.
Suitcase on the bed.
Clothes everywhere.
“Going somewhere?”
She turned.
Her face collapsed.
“Rachel.”
I held up the affidavit.
“What did you sign?”
She sat down.
“Monica said it was temporary.”
“What does that mean?”
“She said the attorney needed strong language to make the court order an evaluation.”
“You lied under oath.”
“I didn’t understand—”
“You were a school counselor for twenty-eight years.”
“Do not tell me you didn’t understand an affidavit.”
She started crying.
I stayed standing.
“Did you ever see me intimidate Eli?”
“No.”
“Did you ever see me hit him?”
“No.”
“Did you ever believe he was afraid of me?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
Her answer was almost worse than greed.
“Because Monica was falling apart.”
I stared.
“She lost those babies.”
“She couldn’t sleep.”
“Jason’s company was failing.”
“She kept saying everyone had something except her.”
“And Eli?”
My mother whispered.
“She loves him.”
“No.”
“She wanted him.”
“There’s a difference.”
Evelyn covered her face.
“I thought if you shared custody for a while, everyone would calm down.”
I almost laughed.
“You thought my child could be distributed like a holiday schedule.”
“No.”
“That’s exactly what you thought.”
She looked at me.
“I never wanted you to lose him.”
“You signed a document designed to make me lose him.”
Silence.
Then she said.
“Monica told me Sarah had medical evidence.”
“What medical evidence?”
Evelyn froze.
I saw fear.
“What?”
“She said Sarah found something in your records.”
My stomach tightened.
“What records?”
“Daniel’s records.”
That made no sense.
Daniel was dead.
His medical records could not prove I was unfit.
Unless the target was never my medical history.
“What did she find?”
My mother looked confused.
“She said Daniel left a letter.”
A letter.
Written before his death.
Addressed to my parents.
And according to Monica, it warned them not to let me raise Eli alone.
I knew immediately it was fake.
May you like
Because Daniel would have written to me.
Not them.
