I remembered that afternoon. My sister had called to tell me she was engaged.
“What made you quit?” I asked.
Carla looked down.
“On my fourth day, Diane said you had once tried to hurt Sophie.”
Ben’s expression hardened.
“That never happened.”
“I know.”
“What proof did she have?” he asked.
“She showed me a photograph that was supposed to prove it. You were holding Sophie near the staircase, and your hand was raised.”
I remembered the picture.
Sophie had been two.
She had slipped while climbing the stairs, and I caught her by the back of her dress.
Diane had taken the photograph from the hallway.
“She cropped it,” I said.
Carla nodded.
“Later, I found the original on your digital picture frame. I realized she had manipulated it.”
“Did you confront her?”
“Yes.”
“What did she say?”
“That I was too naive to protect a child.”
Carla’s voice shook.
“Then she told me the agency would ruin my reputation if I accused a respected family member without proof.”
That evening, Carla called the agency.
The director urged her to resign quietly and later offered a settlement.
“Why did you accept it?” Ben asked.
“I had rent, student loans, and no job. They promised the agreement only prevented me from naming your family publicly.”
