{"id":1485,"date":"2026-10-05T13:27:33","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T13:27:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/?p=1485"},"modified":"2026-10-05T13:27:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T13:27:33","slug":"part-20-zias-first-meeting-with-lorraine-after-christmas-lasted-forty-minutes-and-one-question-changed-what-reconciliation-would-require","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/?p=1485","title":{"rendered":"PART 20 \u2013 Zia\u2019s First Meeting With Lorraine After Christmas Lasted Forty Minutes\u2014and One Question Changed What Reconciliation Would Require"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The park was nearly empty.<\/p>\n<p>A cold wind moved dry leaves across the walking path while children\u2019s swings creaked faintly behind us.<\/p>\n<p>We chose a bench where we could see Zia and Lorraine without sitting close enough to turn the meeting into an interview.<\/p>\n<p>Travis stayed beside me.<\/p>\n<p>His knee bounced continuously.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStop.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re making me nervous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m already nervous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fair.<\/p>\n<p>Across the path, Lorraine and Zia walked toward the small pond.<\/p>\n<p>Not hand in hand now.<\/p>\n<p>Just side by side.<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine kept her arms folded loosely in front of her.<\/p>\n<p>No reaching.<\/p>\n<p>No touching without invitation.<\/p>\n<p>No attempt to pull Zia into the role she wanted.<\/p>\n<p>They stopped near a wooden railing.<\/p>\n<p>Zia pointed at something in the water.<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine bent slightly to look.<\/p>\n<p>For five minutes, nothing important seemed to happen.<\/p>\n<p>That itself felt important.<\/p>\n<p>No apology speech.<\/p>\n<p>No tears.<\/p>\n<p>No gifts.<\/p>\n<p>Just ducks.<\/p>\n<p>Eventually they returned toward the playground.<\/p>\n<p>Zia climbed onto a swing.<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine stood behind her, then stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you want me to push?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We could not hear the exact words from where we sat, but we saw the question.<\/p>\n<p>Zia nodded.<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine pushed gently.<\/p>\n<p>Not high.<\/p>\n<p>Not dramatic.<\/p>\n<p>Zia laughed once.<\/p>\n<p>Travis\u2019s bouncing knee stopped.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>His eyes were wet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then he smiled slightly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For twenty minutes, the visit remained ordinary.<\/p>\n<p>Then Zia got off the swing and sat with Lorraine at a picnic table.<\/p>\n<p>Their body language changed.<\/p>\n<p>More serious.<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine leaned forward.<\/p>\n<p>Zia crossed her arms.<\/p>\n<p>Travis immediately stood.<\/p>\n<p>I caught his sleeve.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe looks upset.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s talking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf she\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can see her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He remained standing.<\/p>\n<p>I did too.<\/p>\n<p>From across the park, Zia looked toward us once.<\/p>\n<p>I raised my hand.<\/p>\n<p>She did not signal.<\/p>\n<p>Then she turned back to Lorraine.<\/p>\n<p>Another five minutes passed.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, Zia stood.<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine did too.<\/p>\n<p>They walked toward us.<\/p>\n<p>Zia\u2019s face was not tearful.<\/p>\n<p>Just thoughtful.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReady?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>She nodded.<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine stopped several feet away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThank you for letting me see her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost said, Thank Zia.<\/p>\n<p>Then realized she already knew.<\/p>\n<p>Zia looked at Lorraine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBye.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine smiled gently.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBye, Zia.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>Then Zia stepped forward and hugged her.<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine\u2019s face crumpled.<\/p>\n<p>But she did not tighten the embrace too much.<\/p>\n<p>She did not cry loudly.<\/p>\n<p>She did not say Grandma loves you.<\/p>\n<p>She simply hugged back.<\/p>\n<p>When Zia released her, Lorraine let go immediately.<\/p>\n<p>Progress can look very small from the outside.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes it is exactly the size of not holding on.<\/p>\n<p>We walked toward the car.<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine remained by the path.<\/p>\n<p>She did not follow.<\/p>\n<p>Inside the car, we waited until the doors closed before asking anything.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow was it?\u201d Travis said.<\/p>\n<p>Zia buckled herself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That word could mean everything or nothing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you talk about at the picnic table?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked out the window.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrandma asked if I was still mad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe wasn\u2019t supposed to ask for forgiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI said kind of.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Good.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat I could be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Travis looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>Better.<\/p>\n<p>Then Zia grew quiet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>She picked at the edge of her seat belt.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI asked why she doesn\u2019t think I\u2019m real family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There it was.<\/p>\n<p>The question at the center.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat she was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Simple.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid that help?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKind of.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Again.<\/p>\n<p>Then Zia said, \u201cI asked why.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The harder question.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe said because Dad loved me a lot and she got jealous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Travis closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine had simplified the truth appropriately.<\/p>\n<p>No trusts.<\/p>\n<p>No inheritance.<\/p>\n<p>No Daniel strategy.<\/p>\n<p>Just the emotional root.<\/p>\n<p>Jealousy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Zia frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI said grown-ups aren\u2019t supposed to get jealous of kids.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe said she knows.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We pulled away from the park.<\/p>\n<p>For several minutes, Zia watched the trees pass.<\/p>\n<p>Then she asked, \u201cDid Grandma think Dad only has enough love for one person?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The question startled us.<\/p>\n<p>Travis looked at her through the mirror.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe said she thought if you loved me, you didn\u2019t need her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He swallowed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was never true.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat you love Mom and me and Grandpa and pizza.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I laughed.<\/p>\n<p>Travis did too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAccurate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Zia smiled briefly.<\/p>\n<p>Then became serious again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan Grandma come to my birthday?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The question returned.<\/p>\n<p>Six weeks away had become five.<\/p>\n<p>We had avoided deciding.<\/p>\n<p>Now the child herself was asking after testing the relationship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want her there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven if it feels weird?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe can leave if it\u2019s weird.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Again.<\/p>\n<p>Boundaries with exits.<\/p>\n<p>We had taught her something.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe too much for seven.<\/p>\n<p>But at least it was useful.<\/p>\n<p>Travis nodded slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Zia brightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut there will be rules.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She groaned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAdults love rules.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou hate rules.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hate bad rules.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She laughed.<\/p>\n<p>The birthday became the next checkpoint.<\/p>\n<p>Not forgiveness.<\/p>\n<p>Not restoration.<\/p>\n<p>A supervised family event.<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine accepted immediately when Travis called.<\/p>\n<p>Too immediately.<\/p>\n<p>He reminded her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo gifts bigger than anyone else\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There was a pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was going to get her a tablet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause you don\u2019t repair unequal treatment by reversing the inequality.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine went silent.<\/p>\n<p>Then, \u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo jewelry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBring a book if you want.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA book.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She sounded almost offended by how ordinary the suggestion was.<\/p>\n<p>Good.<\/p>\n<p>Ordinary was the goal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan I bake her cake?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Travis looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>That was more personal.<\/p>\n<p>Potentially safe.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChocolate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Zia\u2019s favorite.<\/p>\n<p>I nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine\u2019s voice softened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The birthday plan gave everyone something concrete to focus on.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the legal conflict grew uglier.<\/p>\n<p>North Grove\u2019s records showed Grant had earned more from Lorraine than we previously knew.<\/p>\n<p>Management fees.<\/p>\n<p>Consulting fees.<\/p>\n<p>Loan origination fees.<\/p>\n<p>Extension fees.<\/p>\n<p>Fees associated with the refinance referral.<\/p>\n<p>Over several years, direct and indirect payments connected to Lorraine exceeded sixty thousand dollars.<\/p>\n<p>That was separate from Marlene.<\/p>\n<p>Separate from interest.<\/p>\n<p>Separate from any investment losses.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe made money every time the problem changed shape,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>Maya agreed.<\/p>\n<p>That did not prove fraud by itself.<\/p>\n<p>But the incentives looked terrible.<\/p>\n<p>The trust\u2019s attorneys began challenging North Grove\u2019s claim over the back parcel.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel\u2019s attorney joined.<\/p>\n<p>Old deeds were pulled.<\/p>\n<p>Survey maps appeared.<\/p>\n<p>Documents from the 1970s showed that Samuel\u2019s father and Frank\u2019s father had indeed purchased the rear land together.<\/p>\n<p>The recording had been defective.<\/p>\n<p>Not imaginary.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel\u2019s claim was real.<\/p>\n<p>Which meant North Grove could not simply treat the entire rear parcel as Lorraine\u2019s collateral.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does that do to the seventy-eight-thousand-dollar debt?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPotentially reduces their leverage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot the debt itself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Again.<\/p>\n<p>Debt and enforcement were different questions.<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine\u2019s own attorney began negotiating.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time, her interests and ours partly aligned.<\/p>\n<p>She wanted North Grove\u2019s claims reduced.<\/p>\n<p>The trust wanted Frank\u2019s assets protected.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel wanted his family\u2019s ownership recognized.<\/p>\n<p>Nobody trusted Grant.<\/p>\n<p>That strange alliance created momentum.<\/p>\n<p>Then Marlene changed everything.<\/p>\n<p>She agreed to provide a sworn statement.<\/p>\n<p>Her attorney negotiated terms protecting her against certain civil claims from Lorraine.<\/p>\n<p>We were not part of that agreement.<\/p>\n<p>But Maya summarized what mattered.<\/p>\n<p>Marlene admitted she had referred Lorraine to Grant.<\/p>\n<p>She received fees.<\/p>\n<p>She helped maintain records about Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>She participated in discussions about beneficiary strategy.<\/p>\n<p>She also admitted something Lorraine had not known.<\/p>\n<p>Grant had instructed her to exaggerate the financial impact of Zia\u2019s inclusion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy using a projected equal-share model the trust did not actually require.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Exactly what we suspected.<\/p>\n<p>Marlene said Grant wanted Lorraine frightened enough to keep paying for advice and remain engaged with North Grove.<\/p>\n<p>He believed emotional pressure made clients less likely to unwind complicated investments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he say that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAccording to Marlene, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny written proof?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne message.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya forwarded the excerpt.<\/p>\n<p>Grant to Marlene:<\/p>\n<p>She moves when she feels family control slipping. Keep the beneficiary issue concrete. Numbers work better than abstractions.<\/p>\n<p>I felt sick.<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine\u2019s fear had been studied.<\/p>\n<p>Then monetized.<\/p>\n<p>Travis stared at the screen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan she sue him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaya doesn\u2019t represent her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Right.<\/p>\n<p>But her attorney undoubtedly saw the same record.<\/p>\n<p>That afternoon, Lorraine\u2019s lawyer filed counterclaims against North Grove.<\/p>\n<p>Fraud.<\/p>\n<p>Misrepresentation.<\/p>\n<p>Breach of fiduciary duty.<\/p>\n<p>Unfair lending practices.<\/p>\n<p>Several counts we did not fully understand.<\/p>\n<p>Grant\u2019s side denied everything.<\/p>\n<p>The case was becoming public.<\/p>\n<p>Exactly what Lorraine feared.<\/p>\n<p>Yet something unexpected happened.<\/p>\n<p>She stopped trying to stop it.<\/p>\n<p>When Travis spoke with her three days later about Zia\u2019s birthday, she mentioned the lawsuit only once.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI should have told the truth years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was it.<\/p>\n<p>No request for rescue.<\/p>\n<p>No money.<\/p>\n<p>No demand that he testify.<\/p>\n<p>No suggestion he intervene.<\/p>\n<p>Travis noticed.<\/p>\n<p>After the call, he said, \u201cShe didn\u2019t ask me for anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI kept waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He smiled faintly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe I\u2019m the one learning now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo stop anticipating the rescue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was part of the pattern too.<\/p>\n<p>Even after Lorraine stopped asking, Travis\u2019s body still prepared to give.<\/p>\n<p>Change was not only for her.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel made progress of a different kind.<\/p>\n<p>He arranged his first in-person visit with Zia in almost two years.<\/p>\n<p>A daytime visit.<\/p>\n<p>Public place.<\/p>\n<p>We remained nearby.<\/p>\n<p>No overnight.<\/p>\n<p>No promises about future weekends.<\/p>\n<p>He drove rather than asking Lorraine for travel money.<\/p>\n<p>When he arrived, he looked terrified.<\/p>\n<p>Zia stood beside Travis.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel approached slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHi.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then Zia looked at his shoes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou got new sneakers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She remembered his old ones.<\/p>\n<p>That seemed to move him more than he expected.<\/p>\n<p>They spent two hours together.<\/p>\n<p>Miniature golf.<\/p>\n<p>Lunch.<\/p>\n<p>A walk.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel did not tell her he would call every day.<\/p>\n<p>He did not promise summer vacations.<\/p>\n<p>When she asked when she would see him again, he answered, \u201cI want to make a plan with your mom and actually keep it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was the right answer.<\/p>\n<p>At the end, Zia hugged him.<\/p>\n<p>Then ran back to Travis.<\/p>\n<p>No drama.<\/p>\n<p>No choosing.<\/p>\n<p>One relationship did not need to erase another.<\/p>\n<p>That had been Lorraine\u2019s fundamental mistake from the beginning.<\/p>\n<p>She treated love as territory.<\/p>\n<p>Zia treated it as addition.<\/p>\n<p>Two weeks later came the birthday.<\/p>\n<p>Our house filled with cousins.<\/p>\n<p>Balloons.<\/p>\n<p>Pizza boxes.<\/p>\n<p>A handmade banner Zia insisted on decorating herself.<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine arrived carrying one wrapped book.<\/p>\n<p>And a chocolate cake.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing else.<\/p>\n<p>She stood at the door until Zia invited her in.<\/p>\n<p>That mattered.<\/p>\n<p>Inside, she greeted every child by name.<\/p>\n<p>When Claire called, \u201cGrandma, can you help us?\u201d Lorraine turned automatically.<\/p>\n<p>Then she looked at Zia too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBoth of you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A tiny thing.<\/p>\n<p>But I noticed.<\/p>\n<p>Zia did too.<\/p>\n<p>Later, during cake, Lorraine stood beside me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs this okay?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She exhaled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m afraid to do the wrong thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s probably good for now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She laughed softly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI suppose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then came the gifts.<\/p>\n<p>Zia opened books.<\/p>\n<p>Art supplies.<\/p>\n<p>A science kit.<\/p>\n<p>A sweater.<\/p>\n<p>When she reached Lorraine\u2019s present, she looked up.<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo surprises.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Zia opened it.<\/p>\n<p>A hardcover mystery novel.<\/p>\n<p>Inside the front cover, Lorraine had written:<\/p>\n<p>For Zia. Happy eighth birthday. Love, Grandma Lorraine.<\/p>\n<p>I read it over her shoulder.<\/p>\n<p>Grandma Lorraine.<\/p>\n<p>Not claiming too much.<\/p>\n<p>Not withholding the relationship either.<\/p>\n<p>Zia smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then she hugged her.<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine\u2019s eyes filled.<\/p>\n<p>She did not make a speech.<\/p>\n<p>The party moved on.<\/p>\n<p>That evening, after everyone left, Zia placed the book in her treasure box beside Frank\u2019s giraffe card.<\/p>\n<p>I noticed.<\/p>\n<p>I said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>Some connections did not need adults to narrate them.<\/p>\n<p>Three days later, the court ruled on the property issue.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel\u2019s family held a valid half interest in the back parcel.<\/p>\n<p>North Grove could not enforce against his share.<\/p>\n<p>Frank\u2019s trust held the other portion subject to further proceedings.<\/p>\n<p>That sharply reduced Grant\u2019s collateral position.<\/p>\n<p>Then came the bigger blow.<\/p>\n<p>The judge ordered an evidentiary hearing on the altered agreement.<\/p>\n<p>North Grove would have to explain why Frank\u2019s copied signature appeared on language added after his death.<\/p>\n<p>Grant could no longer hide behind formatting.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit he filed to collect seventy-eight thousand dollars had forced a court to examine the document he least wanted examined.<\/p>\n<p>Maya called it \u201ca serious strategic error.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Travis called it something simpler.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe got greedy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maybe.<\/p>\n<p>Or maybe, like Lorraine, Grant had become too accustomed to everyone else absorbing consequences.<\/p>\n<p>Either way, the next hearing would force sworn testimony.<\/p>\n<p>Grant.<\/p>\n<p>Marlene.<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine.<\/p>\n<p>Possibly Martin.<\/p>\n<p>Possibly Samuel.<\/p>\n<p>The family secrets were about to become a legal record.<\/p>\n<p>And the night before Lorraine\u2019s deposition, she called Travis with one request.<\/p>\n<p>Not for money.<\/p>\n<p>Not for protection.<\/p>\n<p>Not even for forgiveness.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need to tell you something about your father before I say it under oath tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Travis sat down slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine inhaled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrank knew more about North Grove than I told you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much more?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her answer was quiet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was preparing to report Grant before he died.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/?p=1486\">Click here to continue reading: PART 21: Lorraine\u2019s Deposition Began With Frank\u2019s Secret Report, and One Missing Envelope Changed Everyone\u2019s Understanding of His Final Weeks<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The park was nearly empty. A cold wind moved dry leaves across the walking path while children\u2019s swings creaked faintly behind us. We chose a bench where we could see &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama-sory"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1485"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1485\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1520,"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1485\/revisions\/1520"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}