She slapped my son after trying to kill me, but she hadn't expected that the boat capsizing wouldn't result in my death.
/
Chapter 12 / 15
Chapter 12 - MOLLY RETURNS
Grant asked Molly back.
She refused.
That shocked him.
“Why?”
“Because I’m not coming back as the woman who fixes everything.”
Grant stared.
Molly continued:
“Ethan needs a therapist.”
“Agreed.”
“Ben needs stable parenting.”
“Yes.”
“You need to parent.”
Grant flinched.
“And Julia?”
Molly paused.
“If she stays, the boys need boundaries around her authority.”
Grant asked:
“Do you think she loves them?”
Molly answered carefully.
“Yes.”
That surprised him.
Then:
“But she loves obedience more.”
There.
Molly agreed to temporary daytime contact with Ben and Ethan.
Not full-time employment.
The boys cried when they saw her.
Julia watched from upstairs.
Alone.
For the first time, she saw what she had tried to eliminate:
May you like
attachment was not competition.
Until she made it one.
