Chapter 5 - RACHEL’S MOTHER CHOSE THE WRONG SIDE
Janice arrived at the hospital the second day.
She hugged Rachel.
Then said:
“You need to stop making this worse.”
Rachel pulled away.
“What?”
“Dean made a terrible mistake.”
“He locked them in the car.”
“He says he was trying to find you.”
“He had the key.”
“He panicked.”
Rachel stared.
“Caleb almost stopped responding.”
Janice started crying.
“I know.”
“Then what are you defending?”
“The marriage.”
That was the betrayal.
Not because Janice loved Dean more.
Because she believed preserving a family structure mattered even when one person inside it was becoming dangerous.
Then Rachel learned Janice had signed a statement for Dean’s custody attorney.
Rachel has struggled with anxiety since the birth of the twins.
Dean has often been the more stable parent during stressful situations.
Janice said Dean drafted it.
She only confirmed what she believed.
“Did you tell him about my attorney?”
“Yes.”
“Did you tell him I was moving money into a separate account?”
“I was scared you were making decisions while upset.”
Rachel closed her eyes.
Dean had known almost every protective move before she completed it.
Not because he hacked anything.
Her own mother told him.
Janice continued:
“I never knew he would do this.”
Rachel answered quietly.
“You knew I was afraid of him.”
“I thought you were afraid of divorce.”
“No.”
Rachel looked directly at her mother.
“I was afraid of what he did when he stopped getting his way.”
Janice had no answer.
The custody court temporarily restricted Dean’s contact while investigations continued.
No permanent judgment.
No dramatic declaration that he would never see his children again.
Evaluations mattered.
Evidence mattered.
Meanwhile Rachel filed for divorce.
Dean responded by asking for temporary exclusive possession of the house.
The house Rachel inherited from her grandmother.
He also requested equal parenting time.
And alleged Rachel’s “escalating anxiety” had caused the fair incident.
His filing said:
Rachel became distracted inside the fair and failed to ensure the children remained properly supervised.
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He was still trying to make her responsible.
Even after his second key had been recovered.
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