Part 26
"I... I knew Daniel was away," Margaret stammered, her body shaking as she wrapped her arms around herself.
"I saw on the local news that the power lines in this specific sector had collapsed because of the tree."
"I knew the backup generator in this old house sometimes has a faulty relay... Daniel always forgot to fix it."
She pointed toward the heavy canvas bag she had dropped on the floor, which clinked with metal components.
"I brought a portable space heater... and a manual battery bridge to kickstart the house's main generator from the outside."
Emily stared at the bag, then back at Margaret, seeing the genuine terror and worry written across the older woman's face.
Margaret hadn't come to attack; she hadn't come to cause drama or demand access to her grandson.
She had driven through a dangerous, blinding blizzard because she knew her daughter-in-law and grandchild were vulnerable.
"You drove in this storm?" Emily whispered, the weight of Margaret’s action breaking through her remaining defenses.
"I was terrified for Leo," Margaret admitted, tears forming in her eyes, freezing almost instantly on her cold cheeks.
"And I was worried about you, Emily. I couldn't let you sit in the dark and cold alone with a baby."
The confession was raw, lacking any of the polished, manipulative wording Margaret had used in her high-society days.
Emily looked at her former attacker, seeing only a grandmother and a mother who wanted to protect what was left of her family.
She set the brass candlestick down on the table, her defensive posture dissolving entirely into the chilly air.
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"Let's get you out of those wet clothes," Emily said gently, extending a hand to help Margaret up from the floor.
"Then you can show me how to fix that generator."
