“So did Claire. And her mother.”
“You weren’t there.”
“And apparently I wasn’t allowed to know later either.”
“Claire had her mother.”
“So did Claire. And her mother.”
“And Ben was her father.”
“Why destroy your family over something that happened 18 years ago?”
“Because Claire contacted him four years ago. And you knew.”
Diane went still.
“I was protecting my son.”
“You protected him from consequences.”
“And Ben was her father.”
“We did what we thought was best.”
“You did what was easiest for Ben and called it best for everyone else.”
“I won’t let you keep Evelyn from us.”
“You don’t get to dictate what happens next. You helped Ben hide Claire from me for years.”
Diane looked away.
“If you’d told me, I would’ve respected whatever Claire wanted. Instead, you treated her like something to hide and never gave me a choice.”
