Preston’s case proceeded through its own legal process, resulting in consequences that included court-supervised restrictions and financial penalties.

Neither outcome transformed them into different people overnight.

I did not attend every hearing.

Nadia and Elaine encouraged me to decide which appearances served a purpose and which would merely reopen wounds.

At the final proceeding I attended, Lorraine looked older without the elaborate hair and jewelry she usually wore.

She asked to address me.

Through the court’s permitted process, she said she had been afraid of losing her place in the company and that she had convinced herself I was the problem.

“I’m sorry,” she said.