Chapter 8 - The Woman Doreen Tried To Erase
The woman’s name was Claire Bennett.
She had been married to Doreen’s oldest son twenty years earlier.
And according to the records…
she disappeared from the Carver family completely.
No photographs.
No mentions.
No contact.
Like she never existed.
“Why didn’t Nathan tell me about her?”
Detective Wells looked at me.
“Maybe because he was protecting his family.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
I looked at the papers.
“He was protecting himself.”
The evidence was disturbing.
Claire had been described as:
“Emotionally unstable.”
“Overly attached to child.”
“Unable to make rational decisions.”
The exact same phrases.
The exact same strategy.
And the strangest part?
The doctor who evaluated Claire twenty years earlier…
was connected to Doreen.
A doctor who later received funding from one of Doreen’s foundations.
My hands trembled.
“She has done this for years.”
Detective Wells nodded.
“Yes.”
“She destroys people by making them look unreliable.”
Mae whispered,
“She turns victims into suspects.”
That sentence stayed with me.
Because that was exactly what was happening.
That evening, Nathan came back.
But this time, he looked different.
Broken.
Not angry.
Not defensive.
Broken.
“Leah.”
I didn’t answer.
“I talked to my mother.”
I looked at him.
“And?”
“She denied everything.”
I almost smiled.
“Of course she did.”
Nathan sat down.
“She said Claire was unstable.”
I looked at him.
“And do you believe her?”
He didn’t answer.
That was the first time Nathan questioned her.
After thirty-four years.
“I found something.”
My expression changed.
“What?”
He reached into his jacket.
He placed a small envelope on the table.
“What is this?”
“My father’s old documents.”
I opened it.
Inside was a letter.
A handwritten letter.
The handwriting was shaky.
But the message was clear.
Nathan,
If you are reading this, it means your mother finally told you her version of the story.
Please remember one thing.
Never let her convince you that someone is broken just because they refuse to obey her.
I stopped reading.
My heart pounded.
Nathan watched me.
“My father wrote that before he left.”
“Where is he now?”
Nathan looked away.
“I don’t know.”
I stared at him.
“You never looked?”
“I was afraid.”
The anger returned.
“You were afraid while she destroyed everyone around you.”
Nathan closed his eyes.
“I know.”
For the first time…
he admitted it.
“I know.”
At midnight, my phone received a message.
Unknown number.
One sentence.
Ask Nathan why his mother already chose a guardian for your baby before he was born.
My blood froze.
I looked at Nathan.
He had not seen the message.
I showed him.
His face changed immediately.
Because he knew.
“What does this mean?”
Nathan stood up.
“Leah…”
“What does it mean?”
His voice became quiet.
“My mother created a legal document.”
“What kind of document?”
“A backup custody agreement.”
I stared at him.
“For our son?”
He nodded.
“Before he was born.”
The room went silent.
Then I asked the question that terrified me.
“Who did she choose?”
Nathan looked at me.
May you like
And whispered,
“Me.”
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