Chapter 11 - THE SON WHO WANTED FORGIVENESS BEFORE ACCOUNTABILITY
Christopher came over alone.
May agreed to see him.
I stayed in the room because she asked me to.
He sat across from his mother and began apologizing almost immediately.
“I was scared.”
May nodded.
“I know.”
“I thought Sophie would lose her home.”
“I know.”
“I thought Jessica was stressed, not—”
“Stop.”
He stopped.
May’s voice remained calm.
“Every explanation you give me asks me to feel sorry for you before you finish saying what you did.”
Christopher looked down.
She continued.
“I showed you bruises.”
“I know.”
“I told you I was afraid.”
“I know.”
“You wrote that I was paranoid.”
His face crumpled.
“I thought that would calm things down.”
“For whom?”
He could not answer.
That was the central failure.
Christopher had not stayed neutral.
He had shifted harm toward the person least likely to retaliate.
His mother.
He admitted helping Jessica access our house once after I changed the side-door lock.
He gave her the garage keypad.
She said she needed to retrieve financial paperwork she accidentally left behind.
That explained how she entered after losing the physical key.
He also admitted knowing she had taken the desk key.
He believed she wanted estate information.
He did not know about the bank-transfer attempts.
May looked exhausted.
“What do you want from me now?”
“To forgive me.”
“Why?”
The question surprised him.
“So we can fix this.”
May shook her head.
“Forgiveness is not a repair crew.”
She told him she loved him.
Then she told him she did not trust him.
Both statements were true.
May you like
Christopher left without asking again.
That was the first thing he had done right in weeks.
