“I’m going to speak to a lawyer about our living arrangements. And you need to take responsibility for what you took.”
Then Linda told him she was ending the conversation and hung up.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“You said that about the credit card, too.”
I heard Derek swear.
My Tenants Dug a Huge Pool Without Asking – I Was About to Call the Authorities Until I Saw Metal Sticking Out of the Bottom
My Aunt Wanted to Adopt My Little Sister Just to Get Her Hands on the Money – She Had No Idea I Had One More Card to Play
My MIL Packed up All the Food at My Husband’s Birthday Party Into Containers – So I Made Sure She Never Did It Again
Then Linda told him she was ending the conversation and hung up.
That night, Derek called me eleven times.
I didn’t answer.
She carried a folder containing copies of the credit card statements, but she didn’t try to show me every charge.
The following afternoon, Linda met Denise and me at Denise’s office.
She carried a folder containing copies of the credit card statements, but she didn’t try to show me every charge.
Instead, she sat down and looked directly at me.
“Derek told me the house should have been his,” she said.
“You knew I owned it before we got married.”
“I did. And I kept telling him he deserved it anyway.”
“But you and the children weren’t taking his house away from him. It was yours.”
She rubbed her hands together.
“I convinced myself you were selfish for keeping it. I told him that, too.”
I waited.
“But you and the children weren’t taking his house away from him. It was yours.”
Denise remained silent.
“I kept making excuses for him, Rachel. Even when I saw what it was doing to your children.”
“You also helped him believe he could do whatever he wanted.”
She looked down.
“When I saw that broken door, I knew something was wrong. I could have walked away. Instead, I helped him load the truck.”
“You also helped him believe he could do whatever he wanted,” I said.
Linda nodded.
“I know.”
Denise placed the itemized demand on the table.
“I want to contribute toward replacing the children’s belongings.”
Linda studied it for a moment, then looked up.
“I want to contribute toward replacing the children’s belongings,” she said. “I helped take them. I won’t pretend otherwise.”
“And Derek?” I asked.
“I’ve stopped paying his expenses. I’ve told him to cooperate with the investigation, and I’m getting legal advice about ending his stay in my home.”
She folded her hands on the table.
Months later, Derek’s criminal case was resolved.
“I can’t make him behave. But I can stop making it easier for him not to.”
Linda looked at me.
“I’m not asking you to forgive me.”
“Good,” I replied. “Because I’m not ready to.”
She nodded.
After that, I didn’t discuss the case with Derek.
Months later, Derek’s criminal case was resolved, and the court ordered restitution. Denise also helped settle the remaining civil claim. Linda paid an agreed amount toward the children’s losses, and my ex-husband eventually moved out of her house after she took the necessary legal steps.
After that, I didn’t discuss the case with Derek. Our communication stayed focused on the children and their parenting schedule.
The following October, Lucy asked if we could carve pumpkins again.
Mason helped her scoop out the seeds while Harper made new cardboard gravestones for the lawn.
“Of course.”
“Can mine have a scary face this time?”
“Absolutely.”
Mason helped her scoop out the seeds while Harper made new cardboard gravestones for the lawn.
When Lucy finished carving, she held up a pumpkin with crooked, pointed teeth.
She carried it outside, holding it carefully with both hands.
“This one’s going to scare everybody,” she announced.
“I think it might,” I said.
She carried it outside, holding it carefully with both hands.
Then she set it beside our front door, straightened it until it faced the street, and went back inside without looking over her shoulder.
