Chapter 3

The next day, we were sitting in a lawyer's office.

I hadn't processed what was happening yet when James‌ shoved the divorce papers right in front of me.

The agreement read: [Teresa stays with James‌. Laura gets to see her twice a month.]

I clutched the paper so hard my fingers went white and screamed, "No way. I won't accept this."

James‌ said coldly, "You don't have a job or any income. How are you supposed to support her? Don't ruin her future."

His mom, Amanda Bennett, chimed in, "If Teresa goes with you, she'll have nothing to eat, nowhere to go."

I felt my blood run cold.

Camila said softly, "Laura, I'll treat Teresa like she's my own daughter."

I slammed my hand on the table. "She's my daughter."

The lawyer cleared his throat. "Ma'am, since you're currently unemployed, there's no way you can win custody at the moment."

My hands were shaking as I stared at the paper, my whole body trembling.

Teresa suddenly burst in, crying, "I don't want to go with her. I don't want to go with Dad. I want Mom."

Her cries cut into me like a knife.

I hugged her tight, my voice barely a whisper. "Teresa, Mom's here. Mom's here."

James‌ yanked Teresa away. "Don't make a scene."

Teresa's face was all scrunched up as she sobbed, "Mom, please don't leave me."

I broke down completely. "She stays with me."

James‌ glared at me. "You want custody? Then forget about the house."

Amanda sneered, "The house is in my name. You think you can take anything from me?"

It hit me like a ton of bricks. I'd lived in that house for sixteen years. I picked out the furniture, sewed the curtains, and painted the walls myself. But in the end, it wasn't my home.

The lawyer reminded softly, "Ma'am, your best bet now is to let go of custody and fight for as much money as you can."

I felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff.

In the end, James‌ took Teresa away. Her screams ripped right through me.

I covered my ears, crouched down, and cried so hard I thought I'd shatter.

I lost custody, I left my daughter in their home, and I got 15,000 dollars in compensation.

*****

The day we went to the court, the place was packed.

I didn't sleep a wink the night before. When I sat up in bed, dawn was barely breaking, and the world outside looked gray and wrinkled, as if someone had crumpled up the morning.

James‌ was driving. He spent the whole drive on the phone, talking business with clients, full of energy.

Only when we hit a red light did he ask offhandedly, "Did you bring the divorce agreement?"

"Yeah." I dropped my gaze and fumbled with my bag.

Our marriage certificate was in there too. Its corners were worn.

Proof that at twenty-three, I once stood outside the County Clerk's Office, smiling so wide my dimples showed.

Now, it was about to sit side by side with the divorce papers.

In the court, the clerk didn't bother to look up and recited the questions from the form, "Are both parties divorcing voluntarily?"

"Yes." James‌ jumped in and answered before me.

The clerk turned to me. "And you?"

I tried to speak, but my mouth was dry as dust.

Suddenly, a wave of memories washed over me.

Outside the delivery room, James‌ snapped impatiently, "Why is it taking so long?"

Amanda rifled through my wallet in the living room, sneering, "You don't work. What do you need all this money for?"

Teresa was burning up with a high fever, clinging to my shoulder as I rushed her to the hospital, and James‌ shrugged, "Don't overreact. Kids get fevers all the time."

All the pain and resentment surged up inside me.

But under the clerk's indifferent gaze, it all sank back down.

I heard myself say, "Yes."

We each got a copy of the divorce papers.

He signed his name in a flash, barely looking at the page.

My hand was shaking as I held the pen. My name [Laura Bennett] was forced out of my pen, crooked and shaky.

Once everything was done, the clerk handed me the papers. "It's done."

I walked out with the divorce papers in hand, my steps unsteady.

Outside the court, vendors were selling bright red balloons and flowers.

Right next to them, a bunch of newlyweds were all smiles, posing for photos at the entrance.

Without thinking, I ducked my head and shoved the papers into my bag.

"Wait," James‌ called out.

I stopped.

"We've already discussed Teresa's custody," he said.

I looked up at him.

"You don't have a job," he said very naturally. "And your money situation isn't good for her future."

I was left speechless.

He paused for a second, then added, "Don't worry, I won't stop you from seeing her."

At those words, I laughed. I laughed so hard that tears streamed down my face. "We should at least hear what Teresa wants," I said.

He frowned. "What does a kid know? All that matters is money. You want her ending up in some dingy basement with you?"

I stared at him for so long that I realized I wasn't looking at the man I once loved, but at a total stranger. "Fine." I nodded.

He let out a sigh of relief, as he'd finally dropped a weight off his shoulders. "You don't have to pay child support," he added smugly, as if he were doing me a favor. "I can handle it."

It felt like a thorn was stuck in my throat.