Chapter 4 - CELESTE'S PERFECT RECORDCeleste's attorneys constructed a defense quickly.
Pregnancy stress.
Misunderstood discipline.
Mara provoking her.
Lucy having real behavioral difficulties.
Then investigators opened the camera archive.
Celeste had loved cameras.
She installed more than necessary.
Pantry.
Mudroom.
Playroom entrance.
Kitchen.
Service corridor.
She used them to monitor staff.
Ironically, they documented her.
One recording showed Celeste throwing a bowl to the floor.
Then calling Lucy in.
Another showed her spilling paint across a rug.
Later, the household log stated:
Lucy deliberately damaged property.
Another showed Celeste opening a cabinet and removing cookies.
She later accused Lucy of stealing them.
The worst clip contained no violence.
Celeste sat beside Lucy.
Calm.
Soft voice.
“Daddy is tired of defending you.”
Lucy stared.
“If the baby is good and you're bad, who do you think he'll choose?”
The child cried silently.
Celeste continued.
“Exactly.”
Adrian stopped the video.
He couldn't watch.
Samuel made him.
“Finish.”
Adrian glared.
Samuel didn't move.
“You need to know what happened.”
Adrian pressed play.
Painful.
Necessary.
At the end, Lucy whispered:
“I can be good.”
Celeste kissed her forehead.
“I hope so.”
Adrian left the room.
Outside, he leaned against the wall and cried.
Not loudly.
Not heroically.
His daughter had spent months trying to earn protection she should have received automatically.
That night Adrian removed one phrase from his vocabulary permanently.
Be good.
May you like
Lucy didn't need to be good to deserve safety.
No child did.
Related Stories
