Chapter 10
Sophie’s memory came in pieces.
Not because she was lying.
Because she had been four.
Because trauma hides things in corners until a sound or smell pulls them out.
Dr. Patel said we needed a child psychologist.
Someone trained.
Someone careful.
I agreed.
Dr. Naomi Reed arrived two days later.
She did not ask Sophie leading questions.
She did not say Vanessa’s name first.
She let Sophie draw.
A house.
A car.
A woman with red hair.
Vanessa had red hair at the daycare.
Not now.
Then Sophie drew rain.
Lots of rain.
Dr. Reed asked, “Who is that woman?”
Sophie’s hand stopped.
“She told Mommy I was hers now.”
My chest cracked.
Dr. Reed stayed calm.
“Where were you?”
“In the car seat.”
I gripped the doorway.
Aaron stood beside me, silent.
Sophie kept coloring rain over the page.
“Mommy shouted. The lady laughed. Then Mommy drove fast.”
Dr. Reed nodded.
“What happened next?”
Sophie dropped the crayon.
“I don’t know. Loud. Lights. Mommy sleeping.”
I had to leave the room.
Outside, I bent over like I had been punched.
Aaron followed.
“She witnessed something before the crash.”
“She was in the car.”
“We knew that.”
“No,” I said. “We knew her body was there. We didn’t know her memory was.”
I hated myself for never asking.
For thinking she was too young.
For letting grief wrap that day in silence.
Dr. Reed later explained that Sophie’s memory could support the investigation but had to be protected.
“No pressure,” she said. “No rehearsing. No emotional reward for details.”
I nodded.
At dinner, Sophie asked if she did good.
I set down my fork.
“You do not have to perform your pain for us.”
She frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“It means we love you whether you remember things or not.”
Her lips trembled.
“Vanessa said you only loved me because Mommy died.”
I moved around the table and knelt beside her.
“Vanessa lied.”
“If Mommy was here, would you still love me?”
I pulled her into my arms.
“More people loving you would never make my love smaller.”
May you like
She cried into my shirt.
And I silently promised Laura that our daughter would never again have to earn safety with suffering.
