My daughter called and said she couldn't carry the baby anymore—that I had left them.
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Chapter 9 / 15
Chapter 9 - WHY LAURA KEPT LEAVING
The first time Laura left Tessa alone with Miles, it lasted twelve minutes.
She ran to Prairie Hope’s office to deliver payroll checks.
Miles was asleep.
Tessa watched television.
Nothing happened.
So Laura did it again.
Twenty minutes.
Then thirty-five.
Then an hour.
Each successful shortcut became proof it was safe.
That was the mechanism.
Not one monstrous decision.
Normalization.
Then Jason’s company crisis worsened.
Laura’s absences stretched.
She told herself:
Tessa is mature.
Miles loves her.
I’m nearby.
Grant is working anyway.
This family needs Prairie Hope to survive.
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By the time of the crash day, a nine-year-old carrying an eight-month-old for hours felt abnormal only to the child doing it.
That was the indictment.
