Chapter 17 - MARGARET’S VERSION
Margaret insisted she loved Lily.
That angered me until Dr. Grant asked:
“Why is love the standard?”
It wasn’t.
Margaret could love her and abuse her.
Could cook for her.
Buy dresses.
Read bedtime stories.
Then chain her outside to protect power.
Humans are inconvenient.
At plea negotiations, Margaret rejected language saying she intended to cause physical injury.
Prosecutors did not need that.
She admitted intentionally restraining Lily and refusing release for disciplinary purposes.
The physical injury was minor.
Psychological harm serious.
Her lack of prior criminal record mattered.
Planning mattered.
Duration mattered.
Her position as caregiver mattered.
She received a custodial sentence shorter than social media demanded, followed by probation and a strict no-contact order pending separate family-court review.
At sentencing, she said:
“I believed Lily was being used by Claire to take control of something that belonged to the Whitmore family.”
The judge asked:
“Was Lily herself responsible for any trust decision?”
“No.”
“Then why punish her?”
May you like
Margaret had no answer.
That silence was more honest than most of her words.
