My mother chained my daughter to a dog kennel—then her own phone revealed it had happened before
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Chapter 24 / 27
Chapter 24 - The backyard changes
I dismantled the kennel.
Not immediately.
Police held it during evidence processing.
After the case ended, I had it returned.
Chain-link panels.
Gate.
Broken padlock.
Heavy chain.
Bolt cutters.
I stood in the yard staring.
Sophie asked:
“What are you going to do?”
“Scrap it.”
Good.
No shrine.
No burning ceremony.
I hired a hauling service.
They removed the panels.
The concrete base remained.
I turned it into a small garden area.
Not:
Lily’s healing garden.
Please.
Tomatoes.
Herbs.
One terrible zucchini plant.
At three? She would be older by epilogue. For now, she liked digging.
The first time she walked across the old kennel spot, I watched too closely.
She looked at me.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re weird.”
Good.
May you like
The yard became a yard again.
That mattered.
