Chapter 17 - What Aaron Actually Did
We had to address the accusations against Aaron honestly.
Did he ever hurt Drew?
Drew remembered one incident.
Aaron grabbed him hard by both shoulders and yelled:
“Stop lying.”
Why?
Drew had said Reena locked Lily downstairs.
Aaron thought he was exaggerating initially.
Irony.
The grip left bruises?
Possibly.
That may have been one of Reena’s photographs.
So not every bruise she attributed to Aaron was invented.
Another incident:
Aaron slammed basement door during argument while Drew was nearby.
Scared him badly.
No physical injury.
He punched garage wall.
Children heard.
Aaron had anger problems.
He started therapy shortly before death.
That mattered.
So when we eventually spoke about him, we did not replace:
Dad caused everything
with:
Dad was perfect.
Neither true.
The medical review could not assign the old forearm fracture conclusively.
Drew’s current memory:
“Mom pushed me at playground.”
But he was four then.
Could have changed.
We did not declare certainty where none existed.
What could we say?
Aaron could not have caused injuries after his death.
Evidence showed Reena used basement confinement before and after his death.
Aaron documented concern and sought legal help.
Some allegations against him were exaggerated or used to redirect suspicion.
He also behaved badly at times.
Truth did not need hero polishing.
Drew deserved a father who was human.
Not monster.
May you like
Not saint.
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