My little girl came home at seven years old and found a sold sign where her house used to be. My mother told her she was homeless and left her waiting by the driveway pillars for four freezing hours. When I learned the truth, I just said, “Ok.” Fourteen hours later, my parents were screaming.

Two months later, the civil suit against my parents began.

The deposition took place in a sterile conference room. Eleanor looked haggard. The stress of the criminal charges and the social ostracization had aged her ten years. Her hair was thinning, her expensive clothes hung loosely on her frame.

Marcus started the questioning. "Mrs. Sterling, on the day in question, did you know the temperature was fourteen degrees?"

"I didn't check the weather," Eleanor muttered.

"Did you know Chloe did not have a winter coat?"

"She should have brought one."

Marcus pulled out a document. "Let's talk about why you were really angry that day. Isn't it true that forty-eight hours before you locked your granddaughter in the snow, your bank denied you a secondary mortgage?"

Eleanor’s lawyer objected, but Eleanor's pride flared up. "That is none of your business! My daughter owed me that settlement money! We raised her! We paid for her life!"

"You were bankrupt, Mrs. Sterling," Marcus said coldly, ignoring the lawyer. "You wanted Sarah’s money to cover a massive gambling debt your husband accrued, and when she said no, you decided to take your rage out on a defenseless seven-year-old child."

Eleanor slammed her hands on the table. "She is a spoiled, ungrateful brat! She deserved to be taught a lesson!"