Chapter 17 - THE GRANDMOTHER TELLS THE COURT SHE WAS WRONG
Final visitation hearing.
Mother could have fought.
Instead she changed strategy.
Her attorney asked:
“Do you believe Carys’s concern about unsupervised contact was irrational?”
Mother paused.
“No.”
My head lifted.
Then:
“Did you pressure Lowri to transfer attachment to Thomasin?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I believed anticipatory attachment would reduce grief.”
“Were you qualified to make that judgment?”
“No.”
“Did professionals tell you to?”
“No.”
“Did Carys tell you to stop?”
“Yes.”
“Did you stop?”
“No.”
There.
Then:
“Did you conceal the estate packet?”
Mother’s voice tightened.
“I did not deliberately destroy or hide it.”
“What happened?”
“I put Alwyn’s papers in his office. I kept the caregiver memorandum because I believed Carys had written it while angry.”
My body went cold.
There.
She had withheld part.
“Attachment Seven?”
“I kept the sealed pouch too.”
“Why?”
“I thought it would poison Alwyn against me.”
Exactly.
“Where did it go?”
“When I moved offices, I returned documents to Jonathan’s old firm storage through my assistant.”
That explained archive.
Was there evidence?
Shipping log.
Yes.
So not destruction.
Deliberate delay.
Then:
“Did you have legal right to withhold Carys’s letter from Alwyn?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I thought I knew better.”
Again.
The central flaw.
Then my testimony.
I admitted:
I received warnings.
Minimized.
Allowed Mother access after Carys restricted.
Became engaged to Thomasin despite Lowri’s discomfort.
Reacted violently to the portrait.
Then Mother’s lawyer asked:
“Should your mistakes prevent Lowri from having a grandmother?”
“No.”
That surprised him.
“What do you want?”
“Safe contact.”
There.
Not punishment.
Then child specialist recommendation:
Supervised therapeutic visits for three months.
Then review.
No unsupervised overnights.
No discussions framing Carys as obstacle.
No pressure around future partners.
No disparagement of Alwyn.
No adult litigation talk.
After demonstrated compliance, gradual community visits.
Court adopted.
Mother did not “win” visitation.
I did not “win” cutoff.
Lowri got a structure.
That was better.
Then Thomasin’s separate no-contact request? She had no visitation right. I maintained no direct contact with Lowri.
No court needed unless harassment.
May you like
She complied.
Good.
