Chapter 4 - Tove Wanted Mireya to Live With Margaret After the Wedding
Three weeks before the reception, Tove suggested a change.
She and Cullen were planning to travel frequently after marriage.
The estate was being renovated.
Their schedules were complicated.
Margaret already loved having Mireya.
So Tove proposed:
“Maybe Mireya should stay with your mom during the week.”
Cullen rejected it immediately.
“She lives with me.”
“I’m not saying forever.”
“She’s three.”
“That’s exactly why stability matters.”
Cullen stared at her.
“She has stability.”
Tove switched tactics.
“She becomes more symptomatic around us.”
That caught his attention.
“What does that mean?”
“She cries when you leave. Then she wheezes. Margaret rescues her. Then everybody reinforces it.”
Cullen hated the implication.
But Tove repeated it often enough that doubt began creeping in.
What if Mireya really had learned that breathing trouble brought her father running?
It was an awful question.
But tired parents can become vulnerable to explanations that promise control.
Margaret saw what was happening.
May you like
And started keeping records.
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