Chapter 6 - The True Family
With the toxicity purged from our lives, Charlotte began to bloom. Her new school was progressive, filled with teachers who praised her curiosity and vibrant energy. She took up art classes, painting wild, colorful landscapes. The shadows in her eyes from that terrible night began to fade.
But the legal battle was heating up. My mother hired a cheap lawyer to try and fight the partition sale, claiming "filial responsibility" and elder abandonment.
My attorney, a brilliant woman named Evelyn, laughed at their filings. "They have no case, Mallerie. You have documented proof of financial elder abuse from her—emails demanding money, bank statements showing you've funded her lifestyle, and absolutely zero reciprocal support. Plus, we have the police report from that night."
"The police report?" I asked.
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"Oh, yes," Evelyn smiled. "I subpoenaed the bodycam footage from the responding officers. The officers’ report clearly states the call was a frivolous misuse of 911 services, and the footage shows your mother and sister admitting they called the police solely to 'scare' a toddler. If this goes to a judge, they will be utterly humiliated."
I felt a warm wave of validation. "Let’s make sure they see that footage before we go to court. Give them a preview."
