Both Of Them Chose Mom

Synopsis

The night after our twins, Emerson and Emma, finished their last eighth-grade final, the mood should have been celebratory. Camilo Brady, my husband, and I were tossing around ideas for a well-deserved vacation to help them unwind. Then, out of the blue, he looked me dead in the eye. "Let's get a divorce," he said solemnly. "I'll take the kids. We split the assets down the middle." The words knocked the wind out of me. I felt my jaw go slack, my mouth opening and closing, but no sound came out. A knot of pure acid formed in my chest, the burn quickly rising to my eyes. Just as the first tear broke free and traced a hot path down my cheek, the front door opened, and Emerson and Emma walked in. They took in the scene with a chillingly calm composure, as if they had been expecting this very moment. Emma came and sat beside me, her hand silently enveloping mine in a firm grip. Emerson stepped between us and his father. His face was a stone mask. "Fine," he said coldly. "Get the divorce. But we're staying with Mom. You'll pay child support for both of us. And she gets seventy-five percent of the marital assets."