Chapter 16 - MY NIECE AND HELOISE
My niece remained with Aaron primarily during Heloise’s custodial sentence.
Family court reviewed parenting afterward.
Heloise had not abused her physically.
But favoritism can harm favored children too.
Therapist documented:
Anxiety around achievement.
Guilt over receiving better food and rooms.
Fear that affection depended on siding with Heloise.
No custody termination.
Structured reunification.
Supervised initially.
Then normal parenting time with safeguards.
No comparing children.
No discussing trust disputes with daughter.
No using gifts to create loyalty.
Reasonable.
At eleven, my niece asked Heloise:
“Why did you make Thora a servant?”
Heloise answered:
“I wanted her father to believe she did not belong at Wycliffe.”
My niece stared.
“But she did.”
“Yes.”
“Did you want me to have her part?”
“No.”
Important.
Heloise did not plan to steal Thora’s economic share for her daughter.
She wanted governance control and development benefits.
Correct size.
“Then why make me the favorite?”
Heloise cried.
“Because I wanted the house to look like my branch was the real family living there.”
That was uglier in a different way.
My niece said:
“You used me too.”
“Yes.”
May you like
There.
Favoritism exposed as another form of use.
