Chapter 14 - THE PERSON JANICE WAS REALLY AFRAID OF
Savannah confronted her mother one final time before trial.
“You paid people to follow Caleb?”
Janice closed her eyes.
“Yes.”
“For seven years?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I needed to know if he was coming back.”
“He was under a restraining order.”
“He could still hire lawyers.”
“So you stole Milo's money to monitor Milo's father.”
Janice suddenly looked angry.
“You don't know what Caleb was like when we were together.”
Savannah waited.
For once, she wanted the whole truth.
Janice spoke for nearly an hour.
Caleb had been controlling.
Jealous.
He called constantly.
He once waited outside her workplace when she stopped answering.
He threatened to fight forever for custody.
Not to kidnap Milo.
To fight for him.
Janice had been frightened.
Some of that fear was real.
That mattered.
But then she met Derek.
Derek offered certainty.
He helped Janice turn fear into evidence.
The fake recordings.
The witness statements.
The restraining order.
At first Janice told herself it was temporary.
Then years passed.
Admitting the truth became harder.
Then Milo inherited money.
Derek began spending.
Janice let him.
Then she spent too.
Each new secret required the previous secret to survive.
“So Caleb wasn't completely innocent,” Savannah said.
“No.”
Savannah nodded.
“I believe you.”
Janice looked surprised.
Savannah continued.
“But you still lied.”
Janice's face collapsed.
“You didn't have to make Caleb a saint for what you did to be wrong.”
Silence.
“And Derek?”
Janice whispered:
“I thought I could control him.”
Savannah almost smiled sadly.
“There it is again.”
“What?”
“Control.”
Savannah stood.
“You controlled who Caleb could see.”
“You controlled what I knew.”
“You controlled Milo with fear.”
“You spent his money trying to control what happened next.”
Janice covered her face.
Savannah walked toward the door.
Behind her, Janice whispered:
“Am I going to lose both of you?”
Savannah stopped.
She did not turn around.
“You didn't lose us tonight.”
May you like
A pause.
“You've been losing us for years.”
