Chapter 10 - THE DAY I STOPPED WAITING FOR HIM
I packed a bag.
Not because I wanted to leave.
Because I needed space.
Callum stood in the bedroom doorway.
"Where are you going?"
"To my sister's."
"You and Renley?"
"Yes."
His face fell.
"Please don't take her away from me."
I looked at him.
"You should have thought about that when she needed you."
The words hurt him.
But they were true.
Before leaving, I walked into Renley's room.
She was coloring.
"Are we going somewhere?"
I smiled.
"Just for a little while."
"Are we mad at Daddy?"
I sat beside her.
"No."
"Then why?"
I thought carefully.
Because children shouldn't carry adult problems.
"Because sometimes grown-ups need time to learn how to do better."
She nodded.
Then asked:
"Will Daddy learn?"
I looked toward the hallway.
At the man standing there.
"I hope so."
That night, at my sister's house, I finally slept.
Not deeply.
Not peacefully.
But without pretending.
The next morning, Bridget called.
"Emma."
I heard something serious in her voice.
"What happened?"
"The investigation found another document."
"What kind?"
"A transfer authorization."
"From where?"
She paused.
"Renley's college account."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
"Emma..."
"Tell me."
"The money wasn't withdrawn."
"Then what?"
"The account was changed."
"How?"
A long silence.
Then Bridget said:
"Someone tried to make Deline the legal guardian of the account."
I couldn't speak.
My daughter.
Her future.
Her security.
Everything.
And then Bridget added:
"Emma, there's one more thing."
"What?"
"The request was filed the same week as Thanksgiving."
I closed my eyes.
Because suddenly...
The dolls.
The humiliation.
The silence.
It wasn't random.
Thanksgiving wasn't about teaching Renley a lesson.
It was about reminding everyone who had power.
But they made one mistake.
They underestimated me.
And now...
May you like
I was done asking them to respect my family.
I was going to make them.
