When questioned about the supposed recent visits, Dad said family relationships were difficult to document.
Chloe stood.
Her hands shook.
“I signed something that wasn’t true,” she said.
“I hadn’t visited Clara.
I hadn’t seen any of the things in that statement.”
Mom stared at her with naked disbelief.
It was the first time I had seen her look at Chloe the way she looked at me.
Like a possession that had developed a fault.
The petition was denied.
There were other consequences to address, other records and allegations for the attorneys to sort through.
None of it happened with the satisfying speed of a movie.
But I left the courthouse with my life still mine.
On the steps, Dad caught up with us.
“You’ve destroyed this family,” he told Chloe.
She flinched.
Then she looked at me.
I didn’t speak for her.
“I told the truth,” she said.
