Chapter 21 - The Family Splits
Word spread fast after the CPS visit.
Some relatives stayed quiet. Others chose sides quickly.
A few aunts and cousins reached out privately, telling me they had always felt something was off with how Lauren treated Grace but had stayed silent to “keep the peace.” Now they were angry — not at Lauren, but at me for “airing dirty laundry.”
I didn’t argue with them.
Instead, I sent each of them the same thing: the photos of Grace’s broken glasses and a short message.
Me: This is what happened. Everything else is just noise.
Most of them didn’t reply.
One cousin wrote back: “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was this bad.”
That was the only message I saved.
The family I had grown up with was splitting down the middle. Some believed Lauren’s version — that I was dramatic and turning Grace against everyone. Others were finally starting to see the truth.
But the people who mattered most had already made their choice.
My parents still defended Lauren.
And Lauren… Lauren was getting more desperate by the day.
She started posting vague, passive-aggressive things online about “toxic people” and “family betrayal.” She never named me, but everyone knew who she meant.
I stopped checking.
Instead, I focused on Grace.
She was sleeping better. She smiled more. She even asked if she could join the art club at school.
But every now and then, she would still ask, “Do you think Grandma misses me?”
And every time, I would answer honestly:
“I don’t know, baby. But I know that I’m here. And I’m not going anywhere.”
May you like
That was the only promise I could make.
And I intended to keep it.
