Chapter 3
Dr. Hannah Levin returned Galen’s call before noon.
She had worked with Eira for fourteen months.
“No,” she said. “I never recommended removing Sofia’s belongings.”
Galen stood alone in his study.
“Did Ainsley ever ask?”
“She asked whether reminders could trigger sadness.”
“And?”
“I told her sadness isn’t automatically harmful.”
Hannah paused.
“With a child Eira’s age, removing attachment objects without preparation can actually increase anxiety.”
Galen looked toward Sofia’s photograph on his desk.
“Did Ainsley tell you she was taking things?”
“No.”
That settled one question.
It created another.
Margaret helped Galen make an inventory.
Sofia’s music box.
Photographs.
A scarf Eira liked to sleep with when she was sick.
Two storybooks containing Sofia’s handwritten notes.
A small ceramic bird.
A box of holiday ornaments.
Nothing had obvious financial value.
Every missing item had emotional value to Eira.
Galen called Ainsley.
Her attorney answered instead.
Ainsley had retained counsel after the rehearsal altercation.
That was reasonable.
Galen had struck her.
He did not pretend otherwise.
His own attorney, Rebecca Shaw, arrived that afternoon and told him the same thing.
“Nolan swung first. Witnesses saw it.”
“And Ainsley grabbed Eira.”
“Yes.”
Rebecca folded her hands.
“But once you removed her hand, the slap becomes a separate issue.”
“I understand.”
“Good. Because protecting your daughter doesn’t give you permission to rewrite what happened.”
Galen nodded.
Then he gave her Hannah’s statement and Margaret’s inventory.
Rebecca read both.
“This is separate from the altercation.”
“It doesn’t feel separate.”
“No. But treat it separately anyway.”
That advice changed his next move.
Instead of confronting Ainsley again, Galen asked Margaret to preserve household schedules, storage records, wedding instructions, and staff emails.
He also changed Ainsley and Nolan’s access codes to the estate.
By evening, Nolan was furious.
He called twice.
On the third call, Galen answered.
“You locked my sister out of the house she was about to live in.”
“Yes.”
“You’re making her look guilty.”
Galen stared at the missing spaces on Sofia’s shelves.
“No.”
May you like
He said it quietly.
“I’m trying to find out why she needed my daughter to look sick before she could remove her mother.”
