Chapter 10 - MARK’S EXPLANATIONMark was forty-one.
Civil engineer.
Meticulous.
Smart enough to build elaborate rationalizations.
He did not deny the notebook.
He said:
“Sophie’s bath phobia was escalating.”
He believed I enabled it.
He believed controlled exposure would help.
The timer documented progress.
The water-temperature notes showed he was trying to identify sensory triggers.
The quiet game taught self-regulation.
And the diphenhydramine?
“At first for allergies.”
Did Sophie have allergies?
“Seasonal.”
True, mildly.
Did a doctor recommend nighttime diphenhydramine?
No.
Why continue?
“She slept better.”
Why dilute and flavor it?
“She hated the taste.”
Why hide it?
He paused.
Then:
“Erin would overreact.”
There.
The defense and confession in one sentence.
Not:
I forgot to tell her.
Not:
I thought she knew.
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He knew I would object.
He hid it because consent was inconvenient.
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