Chapter 8 - Callum Had to Face the Fact That He Helped His Mother Hurt Maisie
Discovering Lenore’s manipulation did not absolve Callum.
He had slapped me.
More importantly, he had looked at his chained six-year-old daughter and still demanded that I apologize to his mother.
That was not a misunderstanding.
That was a failure.
Callum came to the apartment where Maisie and I stayed after the birthday incident.
I did not let him inside immediately.
He stood in the hallway.
“I’m sorry.”
“For which part?”
His face tightened.
“All of it.”
“That’s vague.”
He nodded.
Then forced himself to be specific.
“I believed Mom’s test without verifying it.”
“Yes.”
“I let her talk about Maisie like she was an outsider.”
“Yes.”
“I grabbed you.”
I waited.
“I slapped you.”
“Yes.”
“And when you told me to free my own daughter, I cared more about whether you were disrespecting my mother.”
That was the first sentence that sounded honest.
I asked:
“Why?”
He looked down.
“Because disagreeing with Mom still feels like betrayal.”
“You’re thirty-seven.”
“I know.”
“Maisie is six.”
His eyes filled.
“I know.”
I did not comfort him.
The fact that Lenore manipulated Callum explained his weakness.
May you like
It did not transfer responsibility for it.
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