Chapter 2
That shut Lucy up.
Jacob's face darkened.
He said, "Rebecca, don't make a scene. Xavier's situation is nothing like Zoe's. He lost both his parents; he's fragile and needs extra care.
"Zoe's our own daughter, she's tough. Sending her to the countryside for a couple years will only make her stronger.
"You're a mother. You should know better than anyone that every kid needs to be raised differently."
Everyone was nodding in agreement.
Tyler let out a sigh. "Rebecca, Jacob's got a point. Xavier's had a rough life. You're the grown-up here. Try to be the bigger person and don't take it out on a kid."
I didn't say another word. I pulled the divorce papers out of my bag and laid them flat on the table.
"Divorce. I'm taking both kids," I said.
The whole room went dead silent for three seconds.
Lucy swung her cane at me, but Jacob caught it just in time.
"Mom," Jacob shouted.
Lucy jabbed her finger at me, shaking all over.
"Don't even think about it. Zoe is the Swinburne family's flesh and blood. You'll never take her away. And as for Xavier, Jacob risked his life for that child. What makes you think you have any right to decide his fate?" Lucy snapped.
Philip was starting to panic.
"Rebecca, are you out of your mind? If you walk away with nothing, how are you supposed to raise two kids? Can you just calm down for once?" Philip said.
I slid the divorce papers across the table to Jacob.
"Are you going to sign them or not?" I asked.
Jacob looked down at the papers and let out a sudden laugh.
That smile was light, almost careless, but it sent chills down my spine.
Jacob said, "Rebecca, got someone else on the side?
"Is that why you're so eager to dump me?"
I grabbed my bag and headed for the door.
As I reached the doorway, Jacob's voice rang out behind me, loud enough for everyone in the room to catch every word.
"Rebecca, whoever that guy is, if you come back to me, I'll act like nothing ever happened. For the sake of this family, for Zoe, for Xavier, I'm willing to give you another chance," Jacob said.
Behind me, a chorus of sighs and whispers broke out.
I didn't look back.
As soon as I stepped out of the restaurant, my phone started ringing.
Maria Lincoln's name flashed on the screen.
"Did you really bring it up? How did Jacob react?" Maria asked.
I didn't say a word until I'd closed the car door behind me.
"Just like I figured. First he tried the whole emotional guilt trip, and when that didn't work, he went straight for the cheating accusation," I said.
Maria cursed under her breath.
"Seriously? After all the crap he's pulled, he's got the balls to accuse you? Anyway, about that thing you wanted me to check, I've got a lead," Maria said.
"Let's talk in person," I said.
I hung up and started the car.
As I drove past a traffic light, I opened my phone's photo album and scrolled all the way down to the very last photo.
It was a screenshot from a video call Zoe had secretly made to me last month, borrowing the village store owner's phone.
My little girl was just six, but she'd gotten so skinny her cheekbones were jutting out, her hair dry and yellowed, and she was wearing a faded old jacket that looked like it had been washed a hundred times.
The first thing she said to me in that video was, "Mommy, when will you come get me? My cousin hit me again."
Then she whispered, "Mommy, please don't tell Daddy. He said if I snitch, he won't come get me."
I set my phone down on the steering wheel and just sat there at the intersection for what felt like forever.
When I got home, the hallway light was on.
I changed my shoes and walked in. As I passed the living room, I saw Xavier sitting on the couch, playing video games, with the coffee table in front of him piled high with snacks.
He was wearing a pair of limited-edition sneakers, his feet propped up on the leather couch armrest. When I walked in, he didn't even bother to look up.
"Aunt Rebecca, Mary said she didn't make my favorite ribs tonight. Can you ask her to make them for me tomorrow?" Xavier said.
I glanced at him.
"Sure," I replied.
Only then did Xavier look up at me, a sly, almost mocking smile on his face.
"Aunt Rebecca, did you argue with Jacob at the restaurant today? Grandma said you want a divorce," Xavier said.
He sounded like an old soul trapped in a kid's body.
"Don't worry, even if you and Uncle Jacob get divorced, I'll still call you Aunt Rebecca," Xavier said.
I didn't say anything. I just went upstairs, walked into the bedroom, and closed the door behind me.
I opened the closet and found a file bag tucked away behind the bottom shelf. I unzipped it and inside was a package that hadn't even been opened yet.
The sender was Harborvale Diagnostics Center.
The package had been in my hands for a week now.
I still hadn't opened it.
It wasn't that I was afraid. It was just that the timing wasn't right.
I tucked the folder back into its hiding spot and zipped it up.
Downstairs, I heard the front door open; Jacob was home. Then came the sound of Lucy's cane tapping across the floor.
Lucy had come over tonight, too.