Chapter 11
I rested my hands on the table. My nails were neatly manicured, a stark contrast to the burned, rough hands I used to hide.
David glared at me, his eyes lingering on my clothes and my composure. I could see the confusion and resentment churning inside him. He had wanted me broken. My radiance felt like a personal insult.
“Let’s get straight to the custody schedule,” David’s lawyer barked. “My client is willing to offer every other weekend, supervised, considering the mother’s abandonment.”
Ms. Vance let out a low, terrifying chuckle.
“Supervised? For a woman who was the primary caregiver for five years? No. We are filing for primary physical custody. The father has demonstrated a severe inability to manage the child’s behavioral issues, resulting in three suspensions from kindergarten this semester alone.”
I looked at David.
He flinched.
He hadn’t told me.
“That’s a lie,” Rosalie suddenly shrilled, her voice cracking. “Leo is just going through a phase because his mother traumatized him. I’ve been doing everything. I’m the one helping with his homework. I’m the one making his lunches while David works late.”
“Oh?” Ms. Vance arched a brow. “Are you a legal guardian, ma’am?”
“No, but—”
“Then your input on the child’s upbringing is legally irrelevant.”
“She’s more of a mother to him than Allera is!” David shouted, slamming his fist onto the table.
I leaned forward and looked directly into Rosalie’s eyes.
I saw the exhaustion there. The deep, biting regret.
She had wanted to steal the prize, but she had not understood that the prize came with a lifetime of labor.
“Rosalie,” I said calmly, my voice carrying across the room, “are you enjoying it? The mornings when he screams because you cut the crust wrong? The nights when David goes out networking and leaves you to bathe the boy who kicks water in your face? Tell me—does it feel like winning?”
Tears welled in her eyes.
Her jaw trembled.
She looked at David, then at me. Without a word, she snatched up her purse, shoved back her chair, and fled the room.
“Rosalie, wait!” David half rose from his seat.
“Sit down, David,” I said.
He froze.
Then, unbelievably, he sat.