Chapter 6 - THE GIRL BETWEEN THEM
The court appointed Marissa Cole to represent Emma’s interests.
For the first time, Emma had an adult in the room who worked for neither Ethan nor Laura.
Marissa interviewed Laura.
“Did you control family decisions during Ethan’s recovery?”
“Yes.”
“Did you enjoy being needed?”
Laura hesitated.
“Sometimes.”
Honesty hurt.
“I hated what happened to him. But being useful became part of how I survived it.”
“Could that have made it hard to release control?”
“Yes.”
Marissa wrote something down.
Laura resisted the urge to defend herself.
Later, Emma texted.
I don’t know who is lying.
Laura answered:
You don’t have to choose tonight.
Emma:
Dad says you never loved me like a real daughter.
Laura stared through tears.
He doesn’t get to decide that for me.
No reply.
Then a photo arrived.
A red folder on Ethan’s desk.
PETITION TO TERMINATE LAURA BENNETT’S CONTACT WITH MINOR.
Laura went cold.
Ethan was preparing to remove her not only from the trust but from Emma’s life.
Then Emma sent:
He wants me to sign something tomorrow.
Naomi immediately sought an emergency order preventing either side from asking Emma to sign trust or contact declarations without Marissa present.
The judge granted it.
Ethan lost that move.
Then he leaked the caregiver-payment story to a local business columnist.
By evening, social media was calling Laura a saint, a thief, a gold digger, and an abuser.
Emma’s classmates saw it.
She stopped going to school.
Laura wanted to disappear.
Then Marissa called.
“Emma wants to meet you.”
At the meeting, Emma pushed an unsigned document across the table.
The contact waiver.
“I didn’t sign.”
Laura’s eyes filled.
Emma looked down.
“But I still don’t know if I trust you.”
“That’s okay.”
“No, it isn’t.”
Then Emma placed a flash drive beside the paper.
“There are more videos.”
Laura stared.
“One of them has Dad talking about you.”
May you like
Emma’s voice shook.
“And it sounds like he planned everything before he recovered.”
