Page 18 of After the Vows

“Are you deaf? There is no us.”

“Watch your tone with me, Luke. I’m being nice. I don’t have to be nice.”

“Be a brat, a bitch, I don’t care. I’m hanging up now.”

“Hang up and you’ll regret it.”

“Clue in, Holly. I already regret the decade I wasted on you.”

“Listen up,” she hisses. “You will give me another chance or else.”

“Or else what? You’re going to stop visiting on Natalia’s birthday? Christmas? Oh, wait. You haven’t seen Natalia in over a year.”

“I will sue you.”

“Sue me for what? What is it you think I’ve done? I’ve provided for my family. I tried for years to get along with you. But you ignored me, ignored our daughter, and did whatever the hell you wanted. What are you going to sue me for?”

“Custody.”

My heart stops and my blood turns cold.

“What did you say?” I grumble.

“You heard me. You will give us another chance or I’ll sue you for custody. Sole custody.”

“No judge will give you custody of a daughter you haven’t seen for a year.”

She sniffs. “Because you didn’t allow me to visit her. You moved across the country without letting me know. It’s been devastating for me.”

“You bitch,” I grit out. “You lying bitch.”

“Who says I’m lying?”

“I do.”

“It’s really about what the judge believes. And is he going to believe you? A man trying to raise a girl? A man who has an erratic work schedule and isn’t home when his child needs him? A man who has a dangerous job? Hmmm… who will the judge believe?”

Fuck. Is she right? Are the cards stacked against me? Can she steal Natalia from me?

“You don’t want to raise Natalia as a single mom.”

“Which is why I want us to try again. We can be a family.”

My jaw clenches. A family? I tried to be a family with Holly. Guess what? It’s impossible to make a family with a woman who’s never around. Who spends all her time avoiding her daughter and husband.

“I am not giving you another chance.”

I don’t care what I have to do to keep Natalia. I am not exposing my daughter to her mother’s toxicity again. It’s not an option.

“I guess you’ll be hearing from my lawyer then.”

I disconnect the call and throw my phone on the dash.

FUCK!

Chapter 7

Coffee – an excuse to spend some time with your friends. And there are cookies, too.

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