Chapter 1 - The Shocking Discovery
I swear, I nearly called the police on my mother-in-law before she could even finish explaining herself.
My husband Mark and I were both traveling for work, so my MIL, Diane, had agreed to stay at our home with our 7-year-old daughter, Emma.
I was hesitant.
Diane had always held very strong opinions about parenting.
Emma’s hair was “too messy.”
Her clothes were “too babyish.”
I packed “way too much sugar” in her lunch.
I didn’t make her behave quietly enough at restaurants.
Mark kept insisting that I worried too much.
“She raised three children,” he said. “Emma will be fine.”
So I left.
The moment I walked through the door four days later, Emma came racing toward me.
“Mommy!”
I dropped my suitcase and held out my arms.
Then she smiled.
“Look!”
She opened her mouth.
I froze.
Several of her baby teeth were missing.
Not one.
Not two.
Several.
There were spaces where I knew there hadn’t been four days earlier.
“What happened to your mouth?”
Emma’s smile v@nished.
Her hand immediately rose to cover it.
“Grandma helped me.”
I slowly turned toward the kitchen.
Diane was sitting at the table sipping coffee.
She seemed completely relaxed.
“You did what?”
Diane sighed.
“Oh, please. They’re only baby teeth.”
“You took them out?”
“They would’ve fallen out eventually anyway.”
I crouched down in front of Emma.
“Sweetheart, were they loose?”
Emma glanced toward her grandmother.
Then back at me.
“Some of them.”
I stood so quickly I nearly knocked my suitcase over.
“Why would you touch her teeth without contacting me?”
Diane rolled her eyes.
“Because whenever I try to tell you anything about that child, you behave like I’m att@cking your parenting.”
“You pulled my daughter’s teeth.”
“Quit being dramatic.”
That sentence almost pushed me over the edge.
Diane smiled toward Emma.
“Sweetheart, why don’t you go upstairs? Grandma and Mommy have to talk.”
“No,” I said.
Diane stared at me.
“Excuse me?”
“She stays.”
Something shifted in Emma’s expression.
She stepped closer to me.
Diane crossed her arms.
“Fine. Do you actually want to know why I did it, or would you rather keep scre:aming?”
“I’d absolutely love to know why.”
“Because you weren’t doing anything about them.”
“About baby teeth?”
“Exactly. She’s seven. They looked ridiculous.”
For a second, I honestly couldn’t understand what she meant.
Then I realized.
“You removed my daughter’s teeth because you disliked the way they looked?”
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Diane leaned toward me.
“You should actually thank me. Kids notice these things. I didn’t want her being teased.”
Next to me, Emma became completely still.
Then she quietly whispered something.
“Grandma said nobody would want to take pictures with me.”
I stared at Diane.
“Tell me she’s lying.”
Diane said nothing.
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“Tell me you didn’t say that to her.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake. I told her she’d look much prettier after those crooked baby teeth were gone. There’s nothing wrong with wanting your granddaughter to look presentable.”
