Chapter 8 - Rebecca Explains Why She Joined
Rebecca asked for a formal proffer through her attorney.
She wanted to cooperate.
Michael did not attend.
He read the transcript later.
Rebecca admitted Charles approached her nine months earlier.
He told her Michael would never truly marry her.
He claimed Sarah’s trust prohibited Michael from remarrying without losing financial authority.
That was false.
He told Rebecca Jonathan was secretly trying to remove her from Lily’s life.
Partly false.
Jonathan disliked Rebecca, but he had filed nothing.
Charles then offered Rebecca security.
If she helped establish Michael as an unstable parent, she could become Lily’s temporary guardian.
Charles promised her a generous annual guardianship allowance.
Rebecca knew by then that the plan involved money.
She kept going.
Why?
Her answer was ugly and human.
She was terrified of returning to the financial insecurity she grew up with.
She had built her identity around becoming part of Michael’s wealthy household.
Every sign that he might not marry her felt like a threat to the life she believed she had earned.
Charles exploited that fear.
But he did not create her willingness to hurt Lily.
Rebecca admitted that herself.
“I wanted Michael to need me more than he trusted anyone else.”
The investigator asked:
“So you manufactured problems?”
“Yes.”
“Did you intend to injure Lily?”
Rebecca cried.
“I intended to leave marks.”
Michael stopped reading.
He walked outside.
Jonathan followed several minutes later.
Neither spoke at first.
Then Michael said:
“I let her into Lily’s home.”
Jonathan answered:
“You didn’t tell her to do this.”
“I missed things.”
“So did I with Sarah.”
Michael looked at him.
Jonathan continued:
“We can take responsibility for what we actually did without stealing responsibility from the people who made their own choices.”
For the first time in years, Michael heard his brother-in-law rather than an adversary.
Then Daniel called.
Police had arrested Charles.
But his computer contained one more surprise.
Sarah had not created Lily’s trust alone.
A second person had helped write the protective provisions.
Someone Michael had been told died before Lily was born.
May you like
Sarah and Jonathan’s mother.
Eleanor Bennett.
