Chapter 22 - Natalie says the right words
Natalie’s first apology to Grace had been drafted by her lawyer.
We rejected it.
Too polished.
Second arrived after therapy.
Better.
Still centered:
“I lost control.”
The phrase bothered me.
Eventually, nearly sixteen months after the party, she wrote:
“Grace, I hit you.”
There.
“You did not make me do it.”
Good.
“Owen giving you his crown did not make me do it.”
Good.
“You crying did not make me do it.”
Better.
“I was angry because I wanted the party to look a certain way and because I was already angry at your mother. I treated you like part of an argument you did not belong in.”
There.
“I am sorry.”
No request to visit.
No:
I love you
used as leverage.
No demand for forgiveness.
We read it to Grace after her therapist approved.
Grace listened.
Then asked:
“Did she fix Owen’s crown?”
May you like
No.
Paper crowns do not survive symbolism well.
