Chapter 3 - The Digital Crossfire
* **Dramatic Core:** The manipulation begins. Peter turns on his phone to find a flood of panicked, accusatory messages from Marlene.
* **Key Events:** Marlene alternates between guilt-tripping ("You ruined Christmas for Coral and Forrest") and gaslighting ("It was a misunderstanding, she was supposed to wait just a few minutes"). Peter refuses to engage over the phone, setting down a strict written boundary that all future communications must go through legal channels.
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* **The Hook:** An unexpected message arrives from Marlene’s mother, subtly confirming that Marlene has treated stepchildren this way in past relationships.
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