I thought of all the mail Teresa collected whenever she visited. All the times she claimed something was junk and tossed it away. All the years I had used her address for important documents because I moved frequently before marrying Emily.
“The next day,” Emily continued, “your mother came here with papers. She said they were insurance forms that would protect the baby. She wanted me to sign them.”
“Did you?”
“No. Something felt wrong. The papers said ‘renunciation’ and ‘appointment of substitute trustee.’ When I refused, she became furious.”
The monitor beside Emily’s bed quickened.
I forced myself to speak calmly. “Is that when the abuse started?”
“She told your sisters I was trying to steal money that belonged to all of you. They began coming over while you were working. At first they made comments. Then they started ordering me around. Your mother said she would tell you I was trying to isolate you from your family.”
