Page 39 of Redeeming Melodies

"Remember,"Cassidy murmured as we approached the door, "let me do the talking."

My key still worked - one of the few victories I'd managed to keep in the initial separation. The condo smelled the same, that expensive perfume Vanessa insisted on piping through the air system mixing with the ghost of morning coffee.

She appeared in the kitchen doorway like an apparition, perfect as always in her designer workout gear. The sight of us stopped her mid-step, her green smoothie frozen halfway to her lips.

"What the hell are you doing here?" The polished society wife mask slipped instantly. "And with her?"

Cassidy stepped forward, calm as a surgeon approaching an operation. "Good afternoon, Vanessa. We have something for you."

The papers in Cassidy's hand might as well have been a loaded gun for how Vanessa stared at them. "Whatever this is, my lawyers-"

"Have already been notified." Cassidy's voice carried the perfect blend of authority and disinterest. "The judge made her decision this morning. I'm merely delivering your copy, as a professional courtesy."

Vanessa's perfectly manicured fingers snatched the documents, her eyes scanning rapidly. I watched the color drain from her face, leaving her foundation mask-like against her skin.

"This is ridiculous," she spat. "Unsupervised visits? After his recent behavior?"

"The judge found that quite admirable, actually." Cassidy said.

"He abandoned his responsibilities-"

"The only responsibility that matters is to Tommy." My voice surprised even me, steady despite the thunder of my pulse. "And that's exactly what I'm choosing."

Vanessa's laugh could have cut glass. "Please. This little performance might have fooled the judge, but we both know-"

"That Tommy needs his father?" Cassidy cut in smoothly. "The court agrees. In fact, we're here to inform you that Elliot will be exercising his rights immediately."

"What?" Vanessa's mask cracked completely. "You can't just-"

"I can. And I am." The strength in my voice felt borrowed from somewhere else - maybe from Jake's steady presence last night, or the peace I'd found in Oakwood Grove. "I'm picking Tommy up from school. We're going away for a few days."

"Like hell you are." She reached for her phone. "I'm calling my lawyer-"

"Who has already received the paperwork," Cassidy interjected. "The judge's order is quite clear, Vanessa. Elliot has the right to unsupervised time with his son, effective immediately."

The phone shook in Vanessa's grip. "You really think I'm going to let you take him to God knows where-"

"This is me giving him something real." The words came easier now. “Something that isn't about appearances or society pages or your next fucking photo op."

Vanessa's face contorted as she reached the part about unsupervised visits, her perfectly applied makeup creasing with fury. "This isn't fair!" Her voice bounced off the marble countertops, shrill and desperate. "You can't just waltz in here and-"

Her trembling fingers were already dialing her lawyer's number, but the phone slipped in her grasp. I'd never seen her like this - control slipping, facade cracking. It should have felt satisfying. Instead, I felt oddly detached, like watching a storm from behind safety glass.

"I'm getting Tommy's clothes," I said quietly, moving toward his room. The space still held echoes of morning rushes and bedtime stories, of a life I'd been slowly losing piece by piece.

"Don't you dare-" Vanessa lunged for my arm, but Cassidy stepped smoothly between us.

"Ms. Price,” Cassidy's voice could have frozen hell itself. "I strongly advise against any physical interference with the court order. The consequences would be significant."

I pulled Tommy's favorite Yankees duffel from his closet - the one we'd picked out together last summer, before everything fell apart. His favorite jeans, the soft hoodie he wore on weekends, his worn baseball cap.

"He needs his routine!" Vanessa's voice followed me. "His tutoring schedule, his social obligations-"

"He needs to be a kid." I emerged with the bag, surprisingly steady despite the adrenaline coursing through me. "And that's exactly what I'm giving him."

"By taking him to some backwater town? Around God knows what kind of people?"

"Around people who actually give a damn about who he is, not what he represents." The calm in my voice surprised even me. Maybe Oakwood Grove had changed me more than I realized.

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