“Yes. And according to this filing, he threatened to expose Evelyn’s behavior publicly.”
Laura looked at the document.
Father demands termination of all physical disciplinary methods.
Her eyes widened.
“He made her stop.”
“Yes,” Bennett said. “But there was a condition.”
“What condition?” I asked.
The detective exhaled.
“He agreed not to pursue legal action if Evelyn allowed Laura to remain in the home without further punishment.”
Laura’s hands trembled.
“So he saved me.”
Bennett nodded.
“But he disappeared again soon after.”
Laura’s voice cracked.
“I thought he abandoned me.”
The detective shook his head.
“According to the records, he moved across the country.”
“Why?”
“To keep distance from Evelyn Carter.”
Laura sat there stunned.
All her life she had believed her father had simply walked away.
If he had been the one to stop Evelyn once, then why had Laura let Sophie visit her again?
The answer was painfully simple.
She had buried the past so deeply that she had forgotten it ever happened.