Chapter 15 - Sabine’s Story About Nora Falls Apart
Sabine had told me three major things about Nora.
She abandoned Elodie.
False.
She lost parental rights.
False.
She was dangerous.
Outdated and exaggerated.
Nora had once been unsafe.
That was true.
A parent impaired by sedatives and depression while caring for a toddler creates real risk.
Nora did not deny that.
“I was terrible,” she told the evaluator.
Then corrected herself.
“I was sick and I behaved terribly.”
Better.
She completed treatment.
Maintained sobriety.
Worked consistently.
No subsequent child-safety findings.
No criminal conduct.
She had rebuilt stability.
The custody arrangement remained because family law changes slowly and because Elodie had developed deep ties to Sabine and school.
That did not turn temporary rescue into permanent ownership.
Sabine had confused:
I cared for this child when her mother could not
with:
May you like
Therefore I deserve to remain the central mother forever.
That was the emotional core.
