When I confronted them, Ava was furious. “She’s nice, Mom! She just wants to know me.” It broke my heart to hear Eleanor’s words coming from my daughter’s mouth. That night, I finally told Ava the truth: about her father’s cruelty, about Eleanor’s lies, about the years I fought in court to keep her safe. I showed her the documents I’d kept hidden, the proof of everything. Ava sat in silence, her anger softening into shock.
