Chapter 5 - HER VERSION
By the next morning, Lauren had a story.
In her version, Emma was "fussy," Lauren reached out to calm her, and I became hysterical. James, supposedly fresh from combat and unstable, stood over Lauren and threatened to "destroy" her if she didn't leave.
She left out the slap.
She left out Emma's scream.
She left out her own threat.
And she posted the rest online.
James sat at our kitchen table in sweatpants, reading the statement with the expression of a man studying a badly written report.
"Don't respond," he said.
"She's telling people you're dangerous."
"Then we document. We don't perform."
That was James. When I got angry, my thoughts scattered like sparks. His narrowed.
He called his commanding officer, explained the situation, and offered witness names. Then he wrote down every detail he remembered from dinner, including exact times.
I started doing the same.
At 10:13 a.m., my cousin Melissa called.
"I saw it," she said.
"The post?"
"No. The slap."
I gripped the phone.
Melissa had been near the kitchen doorway during dinner, partly blocked from our view by the Christmas tree.
"Will you say that if someone asks?"
"Sarah, I'll say it now. Lauren hit Emma. Then she smiled like it was funny."
I shut my eyes.
There it was. Another witness. Reality, finally spoken aloud.
Then Melissa lowered her voice.
"There's something else."
"What?"
"Before dinner, Lauren was in your mom's office. She was going through a drawer."
"Why?"
"I don't know. But when she saw me, she slammed it shut."
That afternoon Dad called.
His voice shook.
"Sarah, I need you to come over."
"Why?"
"The envelope from my attorney is gone."
"What envelope?"
He hesitated.
"The one with the new trust documents."
I looked across the room at Emma sleeping in James's arms.
May you like
Dad swallowed hard.
"The trust I changed last month to include your daughter."
