Chapter 11
Lucinda was arrested after the video authentication and witness-tampering messages.
The charges came in layers.
Child assault for shoving Maisie.
Obstruction.
Forgery-related conduct.
Custodial interference.
False statements in family-court communications.
Witness intimidation.
Financial crimes tied to payments used to alter or conceal records.
No homicide charge for Juliet’s death.
Detective Walsh explained it plainly.
“Suspicion is not proof.”
Dominic hated that.
Rebecca Shaw agreed.
“We do not dishonor Juliet by pretending evidence says more than it does.”
That sentence became necessary.
The court then addressed the girls.
Parentage was confirmed.
Dominic was father to both.
Juliet was mother to both.
Maisie remained legally Dominic’s child.
Iris remained under Marianne’s guardianship pending review.
No sudden switch.
No dramatic exchange of children like property.
The judge ordered a reunification assessment between the twins.
Child-led.
Therapist-guided.
No media.
No Valenti entourage.
No gifts worth more than ordinary birthday limits.
Dominic was allowed to send Iris family medical information, photographs of Juliet, and a letter.
He was not allowed unsupervised contact yet.
Maisie met Iris first over video.
Both girls stared.
Maisie whispered:
“She looks like me.”
Iris said:
“You have my nose.”
Maisie touched her own face.
Dominic watched from outside the therapist’s office, not inside.
That boundary hurt.
May you like
It was also correct.
The girls deserved a first look that was not dominated by adult guilt.
