“Because I should have been consistent before.”
Short.
Accurate.
No expansion.
The child accepted it.
The system absorbed the statement without disruption.
After the visit, the middle child said:
“He didn’t make it about us being the problem.”
Correct observation.
“That’s different,” she said.
“Yes.”
That distinction mattered.
The narrative was shifting.
From blame…
To responsibility.
Still incomplete.
But aligned.
At night, she reviewed the full structure again.
Past: defined.
