Chapter 10: Words Across the Glass
Before Eleanor was transferred to the state psychiatric facility, Clara requested one final meeting in the courthouse visitation room. Mark stood outside the door, giving them privacy.
Eleanor sat across from Clara, her hands shaking as she held the telephone receiver. “Why?” Eleanor sobbed into the mic. “Why didn't you let them lock me away forever? I was a monster to you.”
“Because you were suffering, Eleanor,” Clara said softly. “Arthur left that fifty thousand dollars to help children because he loved you, and he wanted to honor your lost son. He didn't hide it to hurt you; he hid it to protect it from the illness that had taken over your mind.”
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Eleanor squeezed her eyes shut, heavy tears dripping onto her orange collar. “I ruined everything... I almost destroyed my own grandchild...”
“Hope is alive, Eleanor. She’s strong,” Clara said, pressing a photo of the baby against the glass. “And if you work hard with your doctors, if you truly heal... one day, when she is old enough to understand, she will know that her grandmother fought her way back from the dark.”
