Lost For Words
The sight Sarah saw was unbelievable. In the beginning, she tried to convince herself there must be another explanation for what happened. Such a thing would never be done to her granddaughter by her mother-in-law.
It was impossible for her to ignore the facts any longer. Her mother-in-law clearly had ulterior motives, as evidenced by the evidence she had in front of her.
Date Of Birth
Mia's parents overprotected her from the moment she was born. After waiting years for a baby, they would not let anything happen to her now that they had one.
Therefore, they entrusted her care to Christopher's mother instead of strangers. Is that really the best course of action?
Babysitter
They didn't need a sitter due to the nature of their work. In Sarah's case, she mostly worked the night shift as a dispatch agent. Christopher worked during the day as a mortgage broker.
She only needed a sitter when her parents went out on a date or did something different. Fortunately, Grandma was there to help.
Aging
In the years that followed, Mia's need for a sitter became less and less frequent. When Sarah had to work the day shift, Grandma would only come around when she was out with her parents.
All seemed well at that point. Mia seemed happy, and Grandma didn't complain. However, everything changed when she was three years old.
First Time
As Sarah and Christopher had had a busy few months, they decided to take a night off. Unaware of what was about to happen, they left Mia in Grandma's capable hands.
Sarah noticed that her daughter's long golden locks were much shorter than they were earlier in the day when the couple got home that night.
Something Off
Sarah raked her fingers through her daughter's hair, wondering what had happened. She didn't mention cutting her granddaughter's hair before leaving.
In order to get to this point, Sarah knew that various things could have happened. However, her mother-in-law didn't speak up despite all of those scenarios being logical.
24/7
Sarah received a text from her mother-in-law asking if she could babysit Mia again the next morning. Since she was usually the one making the call, Sarah found it odd.
The story didn't end there. That's when a snowball effect was created when Sarah explained they didn't need a sitter that day. She started messaging her daily, and she had the same question every day.
Throwing In The Towel
Eventually, Sarah gave in to the request, tired of the request. The only thing she could think of better than spending time with her husband was a break.
She left her little angel in the care of her grandmother, and the couple went out for a night out. The only problem is that they didn't know what was in store for them.
Upon Return
With their daughter safe with her grandmother, the couple had a blast. But there was one hell of a surprise in store for them.
Sarah realized that Mia's hair had gotten shorter that night when she got home. Another cut appeared to have been made. What was the perpetrator doing? What is the reason?
Lost For Words
The next morning, Sarah sat down with Mia in hopes that she could get some answers from the child. However, things did not go according to plan.
Mia's demeanor changed the moment Sarah mentioned Grandma. The happy and excited girl changed into a sullen and distant one. How could this possibly be happening? Is there a reason for her sudden mood swing?
An Idea
The next few days went by, and Sarah still didn’t have any answers regarding the cutting of her daughter’s hair. Mia refused to say anything, and she knew she wouldn’t get a thing out of Judith. But then something completely unexpected happened.
Judith contacted Sarah with the brilliant idea of booking a cabin getaway for the weekend. Of course, she’d be the one looking after the toddler.
Didn’t Sit Too Well
Sarah liked the idea of going away for the weekend, but leaving her child alone with Judith didn’t sit well with her at all. She was starting to get suspicious of the woman and the motives for her visits.
But she wasn’t the only person involved in this decision. She’d need to talk to Christopher and hear what he had to say about all this.
After A Heated Back And Forth
That night, Sarah and Christopher sat down to talk about his mother’s offer. Sarah made her fears clear, but it only caused a rift between them.
Christopher accused Sarah of making things up because she didn’t want Mia to spend time with her grandmother. Sarah tried to state her case, but she got nowhere, so she gave in and agreed to go away for the weekend.
That Night
The weekend came and went, and on Sunday night, the couple arrived back home. Sarah was horrified to find that Mia’s hair was cut yet again.
When all this started, her hair was below her shoulder blades. Now her hair was a bob that barely reached the bottom of her ears. But that wasn’t all she would discover that night.
Something Under The Bed
As Sarah leaned down to kiss her daughter’s forehead, she stepped on something that was tucked in beneath the bed.
She leaned down to see what it was, and what she found would leave her feeling even more confused than before. Why was there a toy truck hidden beneath her daughter’s bed? And who put it there?
What Was Going On?
Sarah was incredibly confused as she stumbled out of Mia’s bedroom. The hair was something she wasn’t willing to let go of. But this… This was downright confusing.
What on earth was going on? Was Judith arranging playdates while they were gone? Is that why she didn’t mention anything about Mia’s hair getting shorter and shorter? Was someone else cutting it?
She Had To Find The Truth
Sarah was at her wit's end. All she wanted was to find out what was really happening while she was out spending time with her husband.
She was sure she could deal with whatever it was that happened behind closed doors. But she never thought her mother-in-law’s reasoning was as insane as it truly was.
What Could She Do?
Sarah barely got any sleep that night. She was tossing and turning as she tried to find a reasonable explanation for what was happening to her daughter while she was away.
But she knew that there was only so much she could do. The only way to find the truth was to catch her mother-in-law in the act. And to do that, she needed her husband’s help. Would he agree?
Would He Believe Her?
After the last argument she had with Christopher, Sarah wasn’t too sure he would be willing to help her uncover the truth. He was very harsh the last time they spoke, and he did everything he could to protect his mother.
Would he do the same this time around? Would he even believe a word she said? Or was she just wasting her time?
Serious Consideration
Sarah spent the next few days going over her options. This situation wasn't something that could be taken lightly. If she were going to go up against her mother-in-law, she would have to do it the right way.
Otherwise, she could end up losing everything. Was she willing to take the risk even though she wasn’t sure if she was right or not?
Big Accusation
If she accused Judith of what she thought she had done, there would be no backing down. It would be considered child endangerment to a degree and extent, and that wouldn’t be good for her mother-in-law’s reputation at all.
Plus, she had to take her husband into consideration. How would he feel if she accused his mother of something so drastic?
What If She Was Wrong?
And on top of all that, Sarah wasn’t even sure if Judith was actually the one who was to blame for all this. For all she knew, Judith might’ve arranged play dates, and it could’ve been another child who cut Mia’s hair.
Judith might’ve just tried to fix the damage by going a little shorter. If only she knew what she would find at the end of this treacherous road.
Would She Really Do Such A Thing?
Sarah had known Judith for seven years, and she was the kindest person she had ever met. She never had to worry about her mother-in-law trying to break up her relationship or not liking her.
Judith accepted her with open arms from the beginning. So was she really capable of doing such things to a child? To her own flesh and blood?
Only One Way To Find Out
The truth was that there was only one way to find out, and Sarah knew it. This would have to be done by her and her alone.
No one else could get involved because they might end up ruining everything she was trying to achieve. If she wanted to win her husband over, she would need to present him with proof.
She Was Still Pushing
Over the last few weeks, when Sarah tried to figure out what she was going to do, Judith kept pushing to take care of Mia.
Sarah always came up with a reason as to why they didn’t need her to come to look after the toddler. But she felt bad about shutting the older woman down, not knowing that it was the best thing she could’ve done.
One More Chance
So Sarah decided to give Judith one last chance. Deep down, she still hoped that she was overreacting and that there was a logical explanation for all this.
But she was about to be in for one heck of a surprise. And it was enough to send her over the edge. What happened while Sarah was out having dinner with her loving husband?
That Was It
When Sarah and Christopher got home that night, their daughter’s hair was completely shaved off. Sarah stared at the three-year-old in horror as she tried to figure out what happened.
But the moment she made eye contact with her mother-in-law, all her questions were answered. The smirk Judith gave her told her everything she needed to know.
She Couldn't Take It Anymore
“Get out,” was all Sarah managed to get out as fury engulfed her. Christopher tried to defend his mother, but Sarah gave him a look that had him swallowing his words.
There was no way he could deny what was right in front of him. Every other time she accepted that he didn’t see a difference in the length or that he thought it was cute. But this time, things had gone too far.
Questions With No Answers
For months, Sarah had to take calls from teachers asking about what was happening with Mia and her hair. They asked why her earrings had been removed and why her behavior had changed so suddenly.
She tried to come up with every excuse in the book. But she was not willing to do it anymore. She was done protecting Judith and whatever it was that she planned on doing.
She’d Get Them
Sarah was so fed up that she didn’t even bother listening to what Christopher had to say that night. She was out for revenge, and she knew exactly how to get it.
One way or another, she’d prove that she was right all along. And once she did, her husband would have no choice but to take her side. She’d start her quest by getting someone to install hidden cameras first thing in the morning.