Chương 12
“Abuse.”
Teresa did not react.
“Does that word feel wrong?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s never hit me.”
Teresa nodded.
“Okay.”
Claire became irritated.
“That’s all you’re going to say?”
“You seem like you have more.”
“I’m tired of everyone looking at me like I’ve been living in some nightmare I was too stupid to notice.”
“I’m not looking at you that way.”
“My brother is.”
“That’s between you and your brother.”
Claire crossed her arms and immediately winced.
Teresa waited until the pain passed.
“Has Ryan ever controlled your money?”
“No.”
“Stopped you from working?”
“No.”
“Threatened you?”
“No.”
“Destroyed your things?”
“No.”
“Tracked your location?”
Claire hesitated.
“We share locations.”
“Whose idea?”
“His.”
“Can you turn yours off?”
“Yes.”
“What happens if you do?”
Claire thought about it.
“He asks why.”
“How many times?”
“I don’t know.”
“Once?”
“No.”
“Ten?”
“Maybe not ten.”
Teresa nodded.
“Does he read your messages?”
“Sometimes if my phone is sitting there.”
“Do you read his?”
“No.”
“Are you allowed?”
Claire’s mouth tightened.
“This sounds ridiculous.”
“What does?”
“He’d say I could.”
“But?”
“But he changes his password a lot.”
Teresa made another note.
Claire felt defensive.
“He works with clients.”
“That may be a perfectly legitimate reason.”
Claire looked at her sharply.
“You don’t think everything is abuse?”
“No.”
The answer softened something.
Teresa placed the tablet on her lap.
“My job isn’t to give your marriage a label.”
“Then what is your job?”
“To help you make choices with more information than you had yesterday.”
Claire looked at the overturned note from Ryan.
“I don’t know what choice I’m making.”
“You don’t have to decide your marriage today.”
“Everyone keeps acting like I do.”
“Then everyone is wrong.”
Claire let out a breath.
Teresa continued.
“You do need to decide where you’ll recover after discharge.”
Claire stared at the ceiling.
“My house.”
“Is that what you want?”
“It’s my house.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
Claire’s eyes filled unexpectedly.
“I want my nursery.”
Teresa waited.
“I want my bed.”
Claire wiped one eye.
“I want the stupid rocking chair I spent three weeks choosing because one squeaked and Ryan said nobody cared except me.”
Her voice broke.
“I want my kitchen.”
She laughed bitterly.
“Although maybe not the kitchen.”
Teresa’s expression softened.
“You’re allowed to want your home.”
“What if he’s there?”
“That’s the part you decide.”
Claire looked at the phone.
“Can I make him leave?”
“If the home is jointly occupied, that can become legally complicated depending on ownership, lease terms, and circumstances.”
Teresa kept the wording careful.
“But you can ask him to stay somewhere else voluntarily.”
“And if he says no?”
“Then you talk to someone qualified to advise you about your options.”
Claire studied her.
“Daniel thinks I should stay with him.”
“Do you?”
“No.”
The answer surprised her.
Teresa lifted her eyebrows.
Claire continued.
“I love my brother.”
“But?”
“He’ll watch me breathe.”
Teresa smiled.
“That sounds possible.”
“He’ll sleep outside my door.”
“Also possible.”
“He’ll pretend he isn’t doing it.”
“Almost certain.”
Claire laughed softly.
“I need space from everyone.”
“That’s useful information.”
After Teresa left, Claire texted Ryan.
She stared at the words for nearly five minutes before sending them.
I want to recover at home when Madeline is discharged.
I need you to stay somewhere else for now.
Ryan called immediately.
Claire rejected the call.
He called again.
She rejected that too.
A message appeared.
For how long?
Claire typed, I don’t know.
His reply came fast.
Claire, that’s my home too.
She closed her eyes.
Then another message appeared.
I’m not trying to fight.
I just need to understand what you’re asking.
Claire read it twice.
She typed slowly.
I’m asking you to give me the space I asked for.
The typing indicator appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
Finally, one word arrived.
Okay.
Claire stared at it.
She had expected resistance.
His agreement made her suspicious.
That frightened her more than if he had argued.
That afternoon, Ryan sat in the office of a family-law attorney named Leonard Price and regretted the appointment almost immediately.
The office smelled faintly of printer toner and peppermint.
Leonard wore no tie and spoke in a voice so calm that Ryan disliked him on sight.
“You said your wife asked you to leave the marital home temporarily?”
“Yes.”
“And you agreed?”
“Yes.”
“Any children?”
“Newborn daughter.”
“Where is the child?”
“NICU.”
Leonard stopped writing.
“I’m sorry.”
Ryan nodded.
“There was an emergency delivery.”
“Is your wife okay?”
“She’s recovering.”
Leonard placed his pen down.
“Why are you here, Mr. Hayes?”
Ryan looked at the diplomas on the wall.
“I don’t know.”
“That’s an expensive answer.”
“My mother told me I should protect myself.”
“From what?”
“I don’t know.”
Leonard waited.
Ryan hated silence when other people controlled it.
“My wife’s brother is military.”
“That’s not a legal problem.”
“He hates me.”
“That is also not a legal problem.”
“He has connections.”
Leonard’s face remained neutral.
“What kind of connections?”
Ryan paused.
“I don’t know.”
“Then let’s remove that from the conversation.”
Ryan shifted in his chair.
“I made a mistake.”
“With your wife?”
“Yes.”
“What kind?”
Ryan stared at his hands.
“She was in labor.”
Leonard waited.
“She asked me to take her to the hospital.”
“And?”
“I left.”
The attorney’s expression changed slightly.
“Where did you go?”
“My mother’s birthday.”
Leonard leaned back.
“Did you understand there was a medical emergency?”
“I didn’t think there was.”
“Why not?”
“I thought she was exaggerating.”
“Was she?”
“No.”
Ryan looked away.
“She had an emergency C-section.”
Leonard was silent for several seconds.
“Did your delay in taking her prevent her from receiving care?”
“I didn’t physically stop her from calling an ambulance.”
“That is not exactly what I asked.”
Ryan’s jaw tightened.
“She called one after I left.”
“Did she have access to another vehicle?”
“No.”
“Was she medically advised to seek urgent care under those symptoms?”
“Yes.”
May you like
Leonard picked up his pen again, but did not write.
“If you came here hoping I’d tell you that none of that matters in a custody dispute, I’m not going to tell you that.”
