{"id":967,"date":"2026-10-04T12:06:53","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T12:06:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/?p=967"},"modified":"2026-10-04T12:06:53","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T12:06:53","slug":"part-20-olivias-mother-finally-spoke-from-treatment-and-what-she-said-destroyed-geralds-last-claim-that-everything-had-been-done-for-her-daughter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/?p=967","title":{"rendered":"PART 20 \u2013 Olivia\u2019s Mother Finally Spoke From Treatment, and What She Said Destroyed Gerald\u2019s Last Claim That Everything Had Been Done for Her Daughter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Sarah appeared on my laptop screen at 10:00 the next morning.<\/p>\n<p>I had met her many times over the years, but I almost did not recognize her.<\/p>\n<p>Her face was thinner.<\/p>\n<p>Her hair had been cut short.<\/p>\n<p>She wore a plain gray sweatshirt and sat in what looked like a counseling office with a beige wall behind her.<\/p>\n<p>Karen was present on another screen.<\/p>\n<p>A treatment counselor sat beside Sarah but outside most of the camera frame.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stayed in the kitchen.<\/p>\n<p>Olivia did not join yet.<\/p>\n<p>This first conversation was between Sarah, Karen, and me.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah looked directly at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs she okay?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her voice broke on the last word.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She closed her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>For several seconds she only breathed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs she mad at me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think she has a lot of feelings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah laughed weakly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat means yes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt means more than yes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karen reminded Sarah that the purpose of the call was not immediate reunification planning.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah understood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know I can\u2019t take her right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Saying it appeared to cost her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not ready.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I respected her for admitting it.<\/p>\n<p>She looked at me again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid my parents really try to take Emma\u2019s room?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her face twisted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy God.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOlivia did not ask for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know she wouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah wiped her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe loves Emma.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy dad said Emma was spoiled.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Anger moved through me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA while ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore I went back into treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I leaned forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat exactly did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said you and Daniel gave Emma too much and that Olivia needed to see what it was like to live in a stable house.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I kept my voice steady.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he talk about becoming Olivia\u2019s guardian?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karen looked at her notes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen did that conversation begin?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah rubbed her hands together.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMonths ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Before the relapse?<\/p>\n<p>Karen asked the question.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That mattered.<\/p>\n<p>Gerald had portrayed permanent guardianship as an emergency response after Sarah disappeared from treatment.<\/p>\n<p>According to Sarah, the idea predated the crisis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you want your parents to become her guardians?\u201d Karen asked.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot permanently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you communicate that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo whom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy mom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Gerald?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe knew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah looked toward me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy dad always hated that I could take Olivia back once I got stable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The phrasing caught me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHated?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said I was selfish for keeping everybody in limbo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karen asked, \u201cWhat did he want instead?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPermanent guardianship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause then he controlled it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There was that word again.<\/p>\n<p>Not safety.<\/p>\n<p>Control.<\/p>\n<p>She rubbed one thumb over her palm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe told me Olivia needed people who make decisions, not people who keep changing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I heard the edge of old pain beneath her voice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow did you respond?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told him she was my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah looked ashamed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen I relapsed two weeks later, so that wasn\u2019t exactly my strongest argument.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karen said gently, \u201cYour relapse does not retroactively make every disagreement with your father invalid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah stared at her.<\/p>\n<p>Then nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I asked the question that had been sitting beneath everything.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Gerald ever talk to you about financial assistance connected to guardianship?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her face changed.<\/p>\n<p>Karen saw it too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes,\u201d Sarah said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMonths ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat if they became permanent guardians, Olivia would qualify for support and health coverage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Those could be legitimate considerations.<\/p>\n<p>Then Sarah continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said at least then raising her wouldn\u2019t drain their retirement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There it was.<\/p>\n<p>Not necessarily criminal.<\/p>\n<p>But financial benefit had been part of Gerald\u2019s thinking long before he told us guardianship was an emergency act of love.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe asked whether the support counted as income.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karen became very still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know. Maybe spring.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Spring.<\/p>\n<p>Long before the condo flood.<\/p>\n<p>Long before the Monday inspection.<\/p>\n<p>Gerald had researched the payment before the supposed crisis made permanent placement necessary.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d Karen asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat I didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah\u2019s voice hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen I asked why he cared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said responsible people plan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I leaned back.<\/p>\n<p>Responsible people plan.<\/p>\n<p>Gerald\u2019s entire defense in one sentence.<\/p>\n<p>He planned.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore he was responsible.<\/p>\n<p>He concealed.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore he was protecting.<\/p>\n<p>He controlled.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore he was stable.<\/p>\n<p>Karen asked another question.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Gerald ever suggest that Daniel or Rachel had agreed to participate in the guardianship arrangement?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said Daniel would help.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said Daniel had a big house.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost laughed from sheer disbelief.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy house.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah looked embarrassed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he say Daniel owned it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I closed my eyes briefly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long has he been saying that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYears.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel heard from the kitchen.<\/p>\n<p>He came closer but stayed outside the camera.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy dad always called it Daniel\u2019s house.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat does not make it Daniel\u2019s house.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know that now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you believe him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course.<\/p>\n<p>That was how small falsehoods became useful.<\/p>\n<p>Gerald repeated a simple fiction socially until it sounded normal.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s house.<\/p>\n<p>Our son\u2019s place.<\/p>\n<p>The family home.<\/p>\n<p>Then when he needed paperwork to align with the story, the lie already had years of casual repetition behind it.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah looked toward Karen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan I talk to Olivia?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karen nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnly if she wants to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I went upstairs.<\/p>\n<p>Olivia was sitting on the edge of the guest bed clutching the framed photograph of her mother.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s ready.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia stopped breathing for a second.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes she look bad?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDifferent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBad different?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTired.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, bad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe looks like someone in treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia stared at the photograph.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs she sober?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRight now, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She stood.<\/p>\n<p>Then sat again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t have to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her eyes filled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBoth can be true.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She laughed nervously.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hate two truths.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI remember.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She wiped her face.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWill you stay?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We went downstairs together.<\/p>\n<p>When Sarah saw her daughter, she covered her mouth.<\/p>\n<p>Olivia stopped several feet from the laptop.<\/p>\n<p>Neither spoke.<\/p>\n<p>Then Sarah whispered, \u201cHi, baby.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia began crying.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t call me baby.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah cried too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For a full minute, all we heard was breathing.<\/p>\n<p>Finally Olivia asked, \u201cWhy did you leave treatment?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah did not make an excuse.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted to use.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia\u2019s face crumpled.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told myself I could do it once and go back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou didn\u2019t answer me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought you were dead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah closed her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The counselor beside Sarah shifted but did not interrupt.<\/p>\n<p>Olivia wrapped both arms around herself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrandpa said you chose drugs over me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah began crying harder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI chose drugs when I should have chosen you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia stared.<\/p>\n<p>No denial.<\/p>\n<p>No disease explanation.<\/p>\n<p>No request for immediate forgiveness.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut that doesn\u2019t mean I stopped loving you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat makes no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia looked toward me.<\/p>\n<p>I stayed silent.<\/p>\n<p>This was not a contradiction I could solve for her.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah said, \u201cI am not asking you to come back to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia looked surprised.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m asking for a chance to get better long enough that someday you might trust me again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The wording landed.<\/p>\n<p>Not forgive.<\/p>\n<p>Trust.<\/p>\n<p>Something earned.<\/p>\n<p>Olivia sat down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you mad I\u2019m staying here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt Aunt Rachel\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith Emma?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah smiled through tears.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m relieved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia\u2019s face folded.<\/p>\n<p>She cried harder.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah leaned toward the screen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Rachel and Daniel are willing to keep you while I\u2019m in treatment, I support it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karen wrote something down.<\/p>\n<p>The legal significance was clear even before anyone said it.<\/p>\n<p>Gerald had spent weeks claiming only he stood between Olivia and strangers.<\/p>\n<p>Olivia\u2019s own mother was now supporting her placement with us.<\/p>\n<p>His strongest emotional argument disappeared.<\/p>\n<p>Olivia wiped her face.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about Grandma?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah\u2019s expression became complicated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you trust her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia nodded slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about Grandpa?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The answer came faster.<\/p>\n<p>Olivia stared at the floor.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI used to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo did I.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you know he wanted the guardianship money?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah flinched.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI knew he asked about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you know he wanted my room at Aunt Rachel\u2019s house?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you know he told me to blame Uncle Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah\u2019s anger appeared slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe did what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>I nodded slightly.<\/p>\n<p>She told her mother.<\/p>\n<p>Not every detail.<\/p>\n<p>Enough.<\/p>\n<p>The messages.<\/p>\n<p>The false housing story.<\/p>\n<p>The insurance paperwork.<\/p>\n<p>The bedroom inspection.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah\u2019s expression changed from grief to something colder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds like him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah wiped her face.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe did things like that when I was younger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room went still.<\/p>\n<p>Karen leaned forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat things?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah looked suddenly uncertain.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know if this matters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt may.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah glanced at Olivia.<\/p>\n<p>Then at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I was nineteen, I had a credit card I never applied for.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stepped fully into the kitchen doorway.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad said he opened it to help me build credit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you authorize him?\u201d Karen asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My skin went cold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe made payments for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe missed some.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah\u2019s mouth twisted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy credit got wrecked before I even understood what credit was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared at the laptop.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Dad do that with me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They had not spoken directly yet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHi, Danny.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked almost stunned by the old nickname.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHi.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sarah wiped her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe handled everything for both of us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel sat down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he ever open accounts in my name?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The question hung there.<\/p>\n<p>Suddenly Gerald\u2019s long history with Daniel\u2019s financial information looked even more concerning.<\/p>\n<p>Old tax forms.<\/p>\n<p>Signature samples.<\/p>\n<p>Credit questions.<\/p>\n<p>The spreadsheet line: Daniel credit.<\/p>\n<p>Karen said, \u201cThat is something Daniel can check independently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Melissa would help.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad always said family shouldn\u2019t worry about paperwork because he understood money better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel laughed without humor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe really loved that sentence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The siblings looked at each other through a screen after years of orbiting the same father in different ways.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah\u2019s addiction had made her the obvious unstable child.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s obedience had made him the successful one.<\/p>\n<p>But both had been managed through Gerald\u2019s conviction that he had the right to make decisions for them.<\/p>\n<p>The call lasted another twenty minutes.<\/p>\n<p>By the end, Olivia was exhausted.<\/p>\n<p>She told her mother she was not ready to say she forgave her.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah said she understood.<\/p>\n<p>Olivia said she wanted another call next week.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah cried.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo do I.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When the screen went dark, Olivia sat motionless.<\/p>\n<p>Then she looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe wanted me to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrandpa said she\u2019d hate you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was wrong about a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel remained at the table.<\/p>\n<p>His face had gone distant.<\/p>\n<p>I knew why.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah\u2019s old credit card.<\/p>\n<p>His father\u2019s signature file.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel credit.<\/p>\n<p>He pulled out his phone and called Melissa.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need to run my credit history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His attorney responded loudly enough that I heard the urgency in her tone.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel walked into the office.<\/p>\n<p>Twenty minutes later he came out holding a printed report.<\/p>\n<p>His face was white.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He put the pages on the table.<\/p>\n<p>There was an old revolving credit account.<\/p>\n<p>Opened thirteen years earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel did not remember it.<\/p>\n<p>There was also a closed personal line of credit from seven years earlier.<\/p>\n<p>He did not remember that either.<\/p>\n<p>Both used an address associated with Gerald and Marlene\u2019s old condo.<\/p>\n<p>My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCould you have forgotten?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel shook his head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t forget borrowing twenty thousand dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The personal line had peaked near that amount.<\/p>\n<p>It was paid off.<\/p>\n<p>Closed.<\/p>\n<p>No current debt.<\/p>\n<p>But the implications reached backward through our marriage.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWere we married then?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at the date.<\/p>\n<p>Emma had been nine.<\/p>\n<p>Gerald had apparently been using Daniel\u2019s identity or financial profile years before the current crisis.<\/p>\n<p>Melissa told him not to confront his father.<\/p>\n<p>She would obtain full records.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel sat at the dining table for a long time.<\/p>\n<p>Then he said, \u201cThis didn\u2019t start with us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt didn\u2019t start with the condo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt didn\u2019t even start with Emma.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked toward the laptop where Sarah\u2019s face had been.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father has been doing versions of this for years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Outside, a car door closed.<\/p>\n<p>We all looked toward the front window.<\/p>\n<p>Gerald stood at the curb beside Thomas Vance.<\/p>\n<p>Scheduled pickup day had arrived.<\/p>\n<p>The last of his belongings were supposed to leave my house.<\/p>\n<p>He looked toward the front door.<\/p>\n<p>Then toward the upstairs windows.<\/p>\n<p>For once, nobody rushed to meet him.<\/p>\n<p>No child was outside in the rain.<\/p>\n<p>No one was waiting for Gerald to decide who belonged where.<\/p>\n<p>I walked to the door with Daniel beside me.<\/p>\n<p>Not behind me.<\/p>\n<p>Beside me.<\/p>\n<p>And before I opened it, he said quietly, \u201cWhatever happens next, he doesn\u2019t get to call this protection anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then I opened the door.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/?p=968\">Click here to continue reading: PART 21: On Gerald\u2019s Final Pickup Day, a Locked Drawer in the Basement Forced His Lawyer to Ask the One Question He Could No Longer Avoid<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sarah appeared on my laptop screen at 10:00 the next morning. I had met her many times over the years, but I almost did not recognize her. 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