Read-Along Week 3: The Truth Was Always There
Week 3 of the A Ward of the State Read-Along | Chapters: 11–15
Allison has always known her life was structured. What she didn’t know was just how many of those structures were made to control her.
This week’s theme is Truth Has a Cost.
The phrase isn’t shouted or even said aloud. But once Allison sees the pattern, it becomes impossible to unsee. The false starts, the too-perfect explanations, the annual lawyer visits she was told not to worry about. All of them trace back to a simple truth: her life was being managed behind the scenes.
Her academic schedule isn’t just academic. It’s curated to meet expectations she didn’t set. Her parents’ custody agreement was court-ordered. Her guardian is not just some nice family attorney but someone appointed before she was born.
Each chapter this week reveals another layer. The mugging that felt like an isolated incident? A sign of deeper unrest. The sudden dinner meeting about safety? A reaction to risk she didn’t create. The change in her school schedule? A response to pressures she didn’t fully understand.
But the biggest reveal comes not from her parents, not from the school, and not even from her cousin. It comes from Allison herself. She pieces together a timeline. She reviews documents. She asks the hard questions. And when the answers come, they don’t sound like protection. They sound like containment.
There is a difference between being cared for and being controlled. Between being safe and being silenced.
Allison is still trying to figure out what that difference looks like in real life. And so are many of us.
Let’s talk:Have you ever found out something that made your entire childhood look different?
What helped you move forward after learning that truth?
How do you distinguish between care and control in your own life?
If you’re reading along, this is a good time to slow down and take a breath. The themes are heavier, but they’re also the ones that often go unnoticed in real life.
And if you haven’t joined the read-along yet, A Ward of the State is just $2.99 and available directly from the author:
https://www.mewright.com/store/p/a-ward-of-the-state-the-unborn-child-protection-act-book-3
