Chapter 7 - GRANDMOTHER ASKS FOR VISITATION
Mother did not wait for us to accuse her.
She filed for temporary grandparent visitation.
Not custody.
Important.
She said I had cut off a previously meaningful relationship between Lowri and her grandmother after one family dispute.
She argued:
Lowri had spent regular time with her for years.
Carys’s restrictions were driven by illness-related anxiety.
My recent destruction of Thomasin’s engagement portrait showed emotional instability.
Thomasin’s departure meant Lowri had already “won” one adult conflict and should not be allowed to dictate all family relationships.
That line infuriated me.
Still legal filing.
Naomi said:
“Do not respond emotionally.”
We answered:
Contact paused pending child-safety evaluation because newly discovered documents showed Carys had concerns about Mother’s unsupervised access.
Not:
Mother is evil.
Not:
never again.
Then the court appointed a child specialist.
Good.
No one wanted Lowri testifying in open court.
Then Mother’s attorney demanded:
The full Carys memo.
We disclosed through protective order.
Fair.
Mother’s response:
Carys misunderstood her.
She had never intended to erase Carys.
She believed children need forward-looking attachments after bereavement.
She admitted encouraging Thomasin.
Denied coercion.
Denied hiding the packet intentionally.
Claimed:
“I put Alwyn’s estate documents in his home office after Carys died.”
Could be.
Did I lose them?
Maybe.
Then courier envelope?
She claimed she opened nothing and placed it with mail.
If true, Attachment Seven could have been lost by me.
That possibility hurt.
We searched.
Home office.
Storage.
Estate boxes.
Nothing.
Then Mother produced photographs showing herself and Lowri happy together.
Park.
Cookies.
Birthdays.
Real.
Relationships are not one thing.
Lowri had loved her grandmother too.
That complicated.
Then child specialist asked Lowri:
“Do you want to see Grandma?”
Lowri said:
“Not alone.”
Important.
“Why?”
“She says Mommy makes people sad.”
Then:
“What if Daddy is there?”
“Maybe.”
Not absolute fear.
Conditional.
That pointed toward supervised contact as possible later.
Then Mother used that.
“See? She wants me.”
Naomi said:
“Stop turning the child’s ambivalence into victory.”
Good.
Then Thomasin filed a statement supporting Mother.
She said:
Carys was “possessive of Lowri.”
No.
Then admitted:
Honora encouraged her to form a maternal bond before Carys died.
There.
Why?
“Because Honora believed Carys would not survive.”
Brutal.
Then:
“Did you tell Lowri you would become her mother?”
Thomasin:
“Not exactly.”
What did you say?
“That she would always have women to love her.”
That alone could be fine.
Then child interview says:
practice Mommy.
Who said those exact words?
Thomasin denied.
Mother denied.
Lowri was three then.
Memory imperfect.
No certainty.
Then Thomasin added one thing:
“There was a night Honora made me record Lowri.”
My body went cold.
“Record what?”
Her attorney stopped.
Thomasin looked frightened.
Then:
“Attachment Seven.”
There.
May you like
She knew.
The secret was coming.
