Chương 6
Teresa changed her mind.
Teresa called at eight fifteen.
“Do you have a lawyer?”
“No.”
“Get one.”
“Why?”
“Because Evelyn called me.”
Madison stood barefoot in the kitchen, coffee going cold in her hand.
“What did she say?”
“That you’re unstable.”
Madison laughed once.
Teresa did not.
“She asked whether I saw you threaten her.”
“I did threaten her.”
“You said you’d expose her if she touched Nora again.”
“I know what I said.”
“She’s telling people you said you’d cut her.”
“I didn’t.”
“I know.”
Madison put down the mug.
Teresa continued.
“She also said Daniel is concerned about the children being with you.”
Madison’s grip tightened on the counter.
“What?”
“I’m telling you exactly what she said.”
“Daniel didn’t say that.”
“Then he should know she’s saying it.”
Madison closed her eyes.
“Why are you helping me?”
Teresa was quiet.
“We’re not close.”
“I know.”
“You barely like me.”
“That’s not true.”
“You told Evelyn I was exhausting at Thanksgiving.”
Teresa coughed.
There was a pause.
“I didn’t know you heard that.”
“I didn’t. Evelyn told me.”
Another pause.
“That tracks.”
Madison looked toward the stairs.
The house remained quiet.
Ethan and Nora were still sleeping.
Teresa said, “I’m helping because I watched an adult cut clothing off a crying child and then spend the rest of the party explaining why everyone else’s reaction was the problem.”
Madison said nothing.
“And because Helen called me too.”
“What did she want?”
“To make sure I understood Nora was never in danger.”
Madison almost laughed again.
“Was she reading from something?”
“It sounded like it.”
“What did you tell her?”
“That she should stop calling people before she accidentally creates better witnesses.”
This time Madison did laugh.
It lasted perhaps two seconds.
Then it hurt.
By ten, she had an appointment with a family-law attorney named Rachel Kim.
Madison disliked the phrase family-law attorney immediately.
It made the problem sound larger.
Rachel listened to the story without interrupting, then watched Ethan’s recording twice.
She paused at Madison cutting the scarf.
“That was a mistake.”
“I know.”
“Good.”
Madison looked at her.
“You wanted me to argue?”
“I wanted to know whether you were going to spend our time convincing yourself it was fine.”
“It wasn’t fine.”
“No.”
Rachel resumed the video.
When Evelyn’s earlier threat played, she paused again.
“That helps.”
“Am I in trouble?”
Rachel leaned back.
“Possibly.”
The answer was not comforting.
Madison appreciated it.
“What kind?”
“That depends on what Evelyn reported, what witnesses say, whether police pursue anything, and whether she tries to use this in family court.”
“There is no family court case.”
“Yet.”
Madison stared at her.
Rachel folded her hands.
“You and Daniel are separated?”
“Yes.”
“Any custody order?”
“No.”
“Written parenting agreement?”
“No.”
“Anything formal?”
“No.”
“Then the biggest immediate risk may not be criminal.”
Madison understood before Rachel finished.
“She’ll push him to file.”
“Maybe. I don’t know her. But if she is already telling people Daniel is worried about the children with you, assume every text from now on may be shown to someone who does not know your family.”
Madison looked down at her phone.
There were thirty-seven unread messages.
Family group chat.
Private messages.
A voicemail from Helen.
Three from Evelyn.
One from Daniel:
Do not respond to Mom.
Madison showed Rachel.
Rachel nodded.
“That one is useful advice.”
“From him?”
“Even broken clocks.”
Madison smiled despite herself.
Rachel did not.
“I’m serious about one thing. Do not delete anything. Don’t post. Don’t ask Ethan to repeat the story to relatives. Don’t coach Nora. Don’t send the recording around like a campaign ad.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
“Good. Because right now the fact that the video exists is valuable. The more people forward, trim, caption, and argue over it, the messier everything gets.”
Madison nodded.
“Can I show Daniel?”
“You already did.”
“How did you know?”
“You’re still married.”
Fair.
Rachel tapped the paused image on the tablet.
“Where is the original file?”
“On Ethan’s tablet.”
“Back it up without editing it.”
“I can do that.”
“And then stop watching it.”
Madison looked at her.
Rachel’s voice softened a fraction.
“Your kids don’t need this becoming family entertainment.”
That sentence stayed with Madison.
By afternoon, the story had already escaped the family.
Not the video.
The story.
Those were different things.
A parent from Nora’s school texted another parent. Someone told a cousin. A cousin told Daniel’s aunt. Details changed.
By four, Madison had supposedly chased Evelyn around the backyard with a knife.
By five, Evelyn had supposedly cut Nora’s entire dress off.
By six, Helen had supposedly fainted.
Helen had not fainted.
She had stood beside the cake for another twelve minutes, then washed three serving spoons because she did not know what else to do.
Madison learned that later.
At the time, she sat on Nora’s bedroom floor repairing the dress.
Or trying.
The sash itself could be remade.
The second decoration Evelyn had pulled had stretched the seam at the waist. Madison unpicked several stitches.
Nora sat on the bed watching.
“Can you make it exactly the same?”
“No.”
Nora frowned.
Madison looked up.
“I could pretend.”
“Don’t.”
“All right.”
Nora lay on her stomach.
Her feet kicked slowly behind her.
“Grandma said it was ugly before.”
Madison’s needle stopped.
“When?”
“Lots.”
“Lots when?”
“When you weren’t there.”
Madison set the dress in her lap.
“What did she say?”
Nora picked at a loose thread on her blanket.
“That I looked silly.”
“Anything else?”
“That you made me wear it.”
Madison swallowed.
“Did you tell her you wanted to wear it?”
“Yeah.”
“What did she say?”
Nora shrugged.
“She said I think I want stuff because you tell me.”
Madison looked toward the window.
Across the street, a man was washing his truck.
Normal water ran down normal pavement.
Someone’s dog barked twice.
She hated the world for continuing to function.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Nora shrugged again.
May you like
“You get mad at Grandma.”
The answer landed cleanly.
