I agreed to speak by phone instead.
She cried.
She said she had never meant to frighten our daughter.
I asked why Ella believed doctors would punish her for telling the truth.
Caroline blamed her mother.
I asked why she had blocked the door when I tried to leave.
She blamed panic.
I asked why the camera showed her watching while her mother pulled Ella away from a trusted neighbor.
That question brought silence.
I told Caroline I would not return to the house while Ella was unsafe there.
I told her every future conversation would center on Ella’s safety, not on protecting the appearance of our marriage.
She said I was choosing our daughter over her.
“Yes,” I said.
It was the easiest answer I gave all week.
