Chapter 14 - THE TEMPORARY ORDERRachel moved out of the mansion under a temporary family-court agreement.
She retained legal rights regarding Lucas as his biological mother.
Thomas remained Lucas’s legal adoptive father.
Emily had no obligation to see Rachel during the investigation.
Rachel requested supervised contact with Lucas.
Dr. Markham supported it initially, provided Rachel did not discuss Emily or litigation.
Thomas agreed.
Some friends were shocked.
“She used Lucas against Emily.”
“Yes.”
“So why let her see him?”
“Because she is his mother.”
“And?”
“And protecting Lucas does not mean erasing her overnight.”
Thomas had learned to resist emotional simplicity.
The supervised visits were difficult.
Rachel cried.
Lucas cried.
Then Rachel asked:
“Is Emily still making you say those things?”
The supervisor ended the visit immediately.
Rachel violated conditions.
Contact paused.
Her inability to stop blaming Emily became a major concern.
Lucas came home quiet.
Thomas sat beside him.
“Do you miss her?”
“Yes.”
“Are you mad at her?”
“Yes.”
“Both?”
Lucas nodded.
Thomas smiled sadly.
“Both is allowed.”
That sentence became central to healing.
Love and anger could coexist.
Missing someone did not require trusting them.
May you like
Family did not require pretending.
Exactly the opposite of Rachel’s rules.
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