He Left Our Daughter To Drown But I Saved The Footage Chapter 21
“He also wants Maisie to testify in court,” my lawyer continued. “His argument is that you may be speaking for the child, rather than letting the child express her own wishes.”
I looked up from the page.
“No.”
“I agree. We’ll resubmit the prior psychological evaluation, the visitation records, and all the evidence the judge has already confirmed. We’ll request an independent evaluation by the psychologist so she doesn’t have to relive the trauma on the stand.”
The next day, I discussed it with the psychologist.
Maisie was drawing in the activity room, and the door was slightly ajar.
She heard her own name.
On the drive home, she was silent.
Only after I’d parked the car in the garage did she ask softly,
“Does Dad want to see me again?”
I didn’t lie.
“Yes.”
She lowered her head and began picking at the edge of her seatbelt.
“If I don’t want to see him, will the judge think I’m a bad kid?”
“No.”
“But Dad always said good kids don’t just think about themselves.”
I unbuckled my seatbelt and turned to face her.
“Protecting yourself isn’t selfish. And you never have to prove you’re a good person by forgiving someone who hurt you.”