Chapter 4 - The Smear Campaign
By Monday morning, my phone was blowing up.
Margaret had taken to Facebook. She posted a long, tear-stained selfie with a bright red mark on her cheek (which I suspected she had enhanced with makeup).
“Heartbroken. I devoted my life to my son’s wife, only for her to violently attack me unprovoked in my own home. She took my grandbaby and ran. Please pray for my son during this dark time. Mental illness is real.”
Dozens of comments flooded in from their extended family and church friends, calling me a monster, a psycho, and demanding David get a lawyer to protect Chloe from her "unstable" mother.
David texted me continuously. You’re dead to me. My lawyer is filing for full custody. You stole my daughter. You’re going to jail for elder abuse.
I didn't reply. I let him type his threats. Every text, every Facebook post, was just more ammunition for my lawyer.
I sat in the sleek office of Amanda Vance, one of the most ruthless family law attorneys in the city. I showed her the bank statements. I showed her the threatening texts.
May you like
And then, I showed her the video.
Amanda watched the screen, her expression hardening into a predatory smile. "Oh, Rachel. They just handed us the keys to the kingdom. Do not post this video online. We are going to let them perjure themselves in court first."
