Chapter 6 - The Unwelcome Visit
Three days passed in a quiet, healing blur of movie marathons and indoor fort building.
I had taken the week off work, needing to ensure Elliot felt completely secure before I returned to my routine.
On Thursday afternoon, a heavy knock echoed through the apartment.
I checked the peephole and felt a sudden knot form in my stomach.
Two police officers were standing in the hallway, accompanied by a woman holding a clipboard.
I opened the door cautiously, keeping my body between them and the living room where Elliot was playing.
"Are you the mother of Elliot?" the woman asked, flashing an ID badge from Child Protective Services.
Panic seized my throat, but I nodded, forcing my voice to remain steady.
"Yes, I am. What is this about?"
"We received an anonymous tip claiming that your child is in a dangerous environment and that you are mentally unstable," the CPS worker explained.
I knew immediately who had made the call.
Denise and Kara were trying to use the government to punish me for cutting them off.
I stepped back and invited them inside, offering a polite smile.
"Please, come in. You are welcome to check on my son and inspect my home."
The officers looked slightly confused by my calm demeanor, expecting the hysterical woman described in the false report.
The CPS worker asked Elliot a few gentle questions, noting how happy, clean, and safe he felt in the apartment.
When she sat down with me at the kitchen table, I slid a manila folder across the wood.
"I believe I know who made that anonymous call," I said quietly.
I opened the folder, revealing the Disney incident report and the printed screenshots of Kara's deleted Facebook post.
"My parents and sister intentionally abandoned my son at a theme park last weekend," I explained.
May you like
"I cut contact with them, and this false CPS report is their retaliation."
The worker read the official Disney document, her professional neutrality cracking as her eyes widened in shock.
