Chapter 1 - The Unraveling
Dad stared at his mother with a look of pure betrayal.
The pale sawdust on his work shirt seemed to tremble as his breathing hitched.
He asked her why she would lie about something so cruel.
Grandma did not flinch or look away from his piercing gaze.
She simply stated that a father who worked fourteen-hour shifts had no right to question her methods.
Doctor Mercer stepped between them and firmly ordered Grandma to step away from the examination table.
He announced that he was legally mandated to call Child Protective Services immediately.
Grandma’s eyes narrowed into cold, calculating slits.
She reached into her heavy leather purse with alarming speed.
Dad lunged forward, thinking she was grabbing a weapon to hurt someone.
Instead, she pulled out a crumpled, yellowed piece of legal paper.
She slapped the document onto the stainless steel counter with a sharp smack.
It was a court order signed seven years ago, right after my mother passed away.
The paper gave Grandma full, irrevocable medical and physical custody of me.
She looked at Dad and smiled a terrifyingly calm smile.
May you like
She told him he was nothing but a biological donor now.
Grandma grabbed my wrist and declared we were leaving this clinic right now.
