Chapter 23 - WHEN AMELIA READ THE FILE
At seventeen, Amelia requested access to the legal record.
Not everything.
Her therapist, lawyer, and Leonard helped stage it.
She read:
False guardianship.
Cedar Hollow intake.
Veronica emails.
Presumptive death petition.
Leonard’s psychiatric records.
My affidavit supporting suspension.
She called me.
“Grandma?”
“Yes?”
“You signed this.”
I knew immediately.
“Yes.”
“You said Dad was irrational and unable to separate grief from reality.”
“Yes.”
“Do you still think that?”
“At that time, he was severely impaired by grief and sleep deprivation. I also believed his claims were false. I was wrong about that.”
“Could both be true?”
“Yes.”
She was quiet.
“Dad says he was a mess.”
“He was.”
“Then why does he get mad when you say it?”
“Because people used his real distress to erase his accurate suspicions.”
She understood.
“That’s different.”
“Yes.”
Then:
“Did you believe Aunt Veronica?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“She sounded calm.”
Amelia laughed bitterly.
“That’s stupid.”
“Yes.”
We both laughed.
I had stopped defending old me.
Useful.
She read until page 840.
Then stopped.
“Too much.”
The case remained.
May you like
She could return.
No requirement to know every invoice to own her history.
