Chapter 8 - Grant Made the Decision Nadine Never Expected
Grant filed for divorce.
There was no dramatic announcement.
His attorney filed the petition.
Nadine received it through proper channels.
Grant did not call.
That silence was his first refusal to participate in the old dynamic.
Nadine responded through her attorney.
She denied intending serious harm to Piper.
She described the event as an impulsive act during an emotional breakdown.
Her attorney emphasized that the sack was breathable, the truck was stationary when Piper was placed inside, and no compactor activated while she was aboard.
Grant understood why those facts mattered legally.
Emotionally, they changed nothing.
Nadine had knowingly sent a four-year-old child away inside a garbage truck.
Her intention could be investigated without pretending the child’s physical safety erased the abandonment.
The divorce had financial costs immediately.
The large house had a mortgage.
Grant could not simply throw Nadine out permanently without legal process.
Temporary possession and safety arrangements were addressed through attorneys and the court.
Grant stayed with June longer than expected.
That embarrassed him.
Then he stopped caring.
Piper felt safe there.
The criminal investigation continued separately.
Nadine underwent a mental-health evaluation requested through her defense process.
Grant did not oppose treatment.
He opposed using treatment as a synonym for forgiveness.
Then Nadine reacted to the divorce.
Through counsel she requested several personal items from the house.
Clothing.
Jewelry.
Her laptop.
A cedar box stored in the bedroom closet.
Grant’s attorney arranged retrieval appropriately.
The cedar box seemed irrelevant.
Until Marcy heard about it.
“What box?”
Grant described it.
Marcy’s face changed.
“Nadine kept letters in there.”
“What letters?”
“Things she wrote to Holly.”
Grant stared.
“Holly is dead.”
“I know.”
Grant felt the first real chill of the case since Piper had been found.
“How long has she been writing letters to my dead wife?”
Marcy lowered her eyes.
“At least a year.”
May you like
The conflict had a private layer Grant had never seen.
And for the first time, he wondered whether Nadine’s jealousy had become something far more organized than resentment.
