Chapter 12 - Sarah Becomes the Target
Richard could no longer control us directly.
So he attacked Sarah.
Not physically.
Legally.
Publicly.
He filed a civil complaint accusing her of defamation for statements to hospital staff and school officials.
It lasted six weeks.
Her lawyer moved to dismiss based on privilege and truth.
Richard withdrew before hearing.
Then anonymous social media accounts appeared:
GREEDY AUNT TAKES IN INJURED TEENS FOR MILLION DOLLAR TRUST.
We did not know who created them.
Do not assume Richard.
Megan subpoenaed platform only after threats escalated.
The accounts traced to an IP used by Richard’s cousin Derek Hale.
Derek admitted he acted independently after hearing Richard’s version.
No payment.
No coordination evidence.
Sarah declined to pursue civil claim beyond takedown.
That was a useful lesson too.
Not every attack was Richard’s secret order.
Families can create their own loyalty campaigns.
Sarah’s employer received calls claiming she stole medication.
Hospital investigated.
False.
Caller unconfirmed.
She kept job.
No dramatic firing.
She cried in car afterward.
I saw.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“You can stop doing this.”
“What?”
“Guardianship.”
Her head snapped.
“Ethan.”
“If it’s ruining your life…”
“Stop.”
“You have work. House. Everything.”
“So do you.”
“What?”
“You and Noah are part of my life. Not a project.”
I looked away.
Sarah softened.
“But if you ever want another placement, you get to say.”
We didn’t.
At guardian ad litem follow-up, Janice asked whether Sarah pressured us to stay.
No.
Whether trust money helped her.
She received a court-approved monthly amount to offset food, transport, and caregiving expenses.
Transparent.
Richard’s lawyer tried to make $1,200 a month sound like motive to take two injured teenagers.
The judge was unimpressed.
Sarah’s finances were boring.
Boring saved us.
Then Richard’s pretrial motion attacked Mom’s letters as hearsay.
Some excluded.
Some admitted for state of mind or non-hearsay purposes.
Dana adjusted.
“We do not need every letter.”
“But they show she was leaving.”
“Yes. We can establish through attorney appointment and Sarah testimony where admissible.”
“What about ‘Richard scares you when he drinks’?”
“May be contested.”
I hated legal filters.
But a trial is not family story.
Rules matter.
The strongest evidence would be things Richard did himself.
Phone records.
Speed.
Witnesses.
His letter.
Script.
Live audio.
Financial emails.
His own guardianship filings.
That was enough.
Then Megan found another document in Richard’s civil discovery.
A draft settlement agreement prepared two days after Mom’s funeral.
It proposed:
Richard waives any claim to Mom’s trust house in exchange for appointment as sole guardian of Ethan and Noah and consent to manage all insurance claims.
Who was he negotiating with?
No one.
The draft was never sent.
It was his wish list.
Still revealing.
He had treated custody and property as linked from the start.
Sarah looked at it.
“He wanted the boys.”
Megan said:
“Maybe.”
“For money.”
“Partly maybe.”
I interrupted.
“He also wanted us because he thought we belonged to him.”
Both women looked at me.
That felt right.
Richard’s control was not reducible to greed.
Money gave it urgency.
Ownership gave it emotion.
Then Noah said something I had not considered.
“If he loved us, why did he blame Ethan?”
I answered before anyone.
May you like
“Because loving someone doesn’t stop you from hurting them if you think your fear matters more.”
Mom had written the answer.
