“When did you actually warn her about this?” I asked.
“At Christmas. And then again a few months later when she made a comment about your cousin. I explicitly told her to stop making comments about people’s physical appearance, especially in front of Clara.”
“And you never thought to loop me in?”
“She made that subtle comment about your plate tonight. You saw her,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “I kept waiting for a better, less volatile moment to step in. That was a massive mistake. You and Clara paid the price for my hesitation. I am deeply sorry.”
I believed his apology was sincere, but I also needed him to understand that a private apology did not fix the structural problem. “If she ever starts that behavior again around our daughter, you don’t wait until we get home. You address it immediately at the table.”
Beatrice, who had lingered in the living room rather than putting on her coat, stormed back into the kitchen. “So I’m being completely frozen out and punished now?”
“About bodies,” Daniel told her, his tone uncompromising. “You are barred permanently from shaming people about their physical appearance or food choices in this house.”
Beatrice folded her arms defensively, glaring at me. “It’s rich coming from you two. You asked me six weeks after Clara was born whether I planned to keep the baby weight!”
Her face shifted slightly as she realized what she had admitted.
“Why do you keep repeating this cycle?” Daniel asked softly.
