Chapter 14 - Nora's Last Request
To the woman who will help raise my daughter, the letter began.
Nora had written it without accusation or prophecy.
She thanked a stranger for loving Emma when she couldn't be there, and asked her to be patient with a little girl who would carry questions no adult could easily answer.
"Please don't make my memory a rival," Nora wrote.
"If Emma keeps my desk or cries on my birthday, it doesn't mean she loves you less. It means she loved me too."
Andrew read the words twice.
Then he found a second paragraph that broke him.
"Andrew will try to keep peace by pretending nobody is unhappy. Please remind him that peace is not the same as silence."
Nora had known him better than he knew himself.
He brought the letter to Dr. Brooks, who advised him not to use it as a weapon against Clara or a burden for Emma.
There was time to share the gentler parts when Emma was ready.
For now the important thing was consistent safety and listening.
At their next counseling session, Emma built a cardboard bedroom with a blue window and a small paper desk.
She placed a doll outside the cardboard door.
"Who is that?" Dr. Brooks asked.
"The new baby," Emma said.
"Why is he outside?"
"I don't know where he goes. Clara says he needs everything."
Andrew moved closer.
"Your brother is going to need care, but he isn't taking your place. You don't have to choose between being safe and loving him."
Emma studied his face.
"Can I still like him?"
"Of course. You can also be angry or sad. None of those feelings make you bad."
Later Maya informed Andrew that Clara had requested a meeting with a neutral mediator.
She wanted to explain her role in the school application and the missing belongings.
May you like
"She says she didn't know Judith intended to send Emma away permanently," Maya said.
"But she's also asking for a promise that you won't use her confession in the case."
