Chapter 8 - JUDITH CALLED IT GRANDMOTHER’S INSTINCT
My mother never truly apologized.
Not then.
Her first statement was:
“I followed my instincts.”
Her second:
“A mother knows when another woman is unfit.”
Anna was not her daughter.
That irony escaped her.
Then:
“Claire assaulted the situation by interfering.”
I became fascinated by how creatively she could arrange verbs to avoid responsibility.
Police reports were less poetic.
So were photographs of my face.
So were the documents.
The family fractured.
Aunt Pauline stopped defending Judith after reading the messages.
Two cousins apologized to Anna for believing claims about her mental health.
Others insisted family issues should remain private.
Nathan stopped attending those gatherings.
Not because Anna ordered him.
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Because, finally, he understood privacy had been the environment where Judith’s authority grew unchecked.
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