Page 63 of Absolution

Another nod.

“Good. Now if you filed for divorce today, especially aiming for 50/50 custody? You’d likely get it. Judges here aren’t blind. They’d sympathize.”

I smile faintly, but then he holds up a finger.

“But,” he says, “if your husband decides to be petty, which you suspect he will…”

I nod again. No hesitation.

“Then he could draw this out. Make you burn through your savings. Bleed you dry in paperwork and delays until you’re stuck settling for whatever he wants. That’s what lawyers do. They wait you out.”

“So, what do I do?”

“You wait. You build. You only get the element of surprise once.”

“I’ve tried to gather proof,” I admit. “But he hasn’t used any of the credit cards. Not since I found out.”

“Do you know of any confirmed instance where he was with another woman?”

“Boston,” I say. “It was supposedly a business trip. I showed up unannounced, and caught him at the hotel.”

“Did he pay for that with a personal card?”

“No. Company card.”

That stops him. His eyes flicker with interest.

“So, you don’t have access to it?”

“No.”

“But if you file, and this comes out, it could be subpoenaed. If he used company funds for something personal, especiallythatpersonal, it could jeopardize his job.”

“I know.” My voice lowers. “And that’s the problem.”

Garbonza cocks his head. “You don’t want him to lose the job?”

“Our son… Levi. He has serious medical issues. The insurance through Kyle’s job has saved us, more than once. His transplant, post-op care, none of that was cheap.”

He nods slowly, the corners of his mouth tugging down. “So, you want to hurt him, but not destroy him.”

I sigh. “I don’t know what I want. Some days I want to burn everything. His job. His reputation. But most days… I just want a way out that doesn’t wreck my kids.”

“Then your leverage is timing. Keep building. Keep documenting. If it’s a custody battle, you need evidence that showsyou’vebeen the stable parent, the primary caregiver. Not just in spirit, but on paper.”

“Like what?”

“Receipts. Medical forms. School records. Pictures. His absences. Anything that builds a pattern. But if you want to shake him enough to cooperate, to settle instead of fight, then get your hands on what you can. You don’t have to use it, but leverage is everything. The worse, the better.”

I stare down at my hands. “The worst thing he ever did to me? That’s easy.”

He waits.

“He was screwing another woman while I was home, pregnant with quadruplets. The night I went into labour… he wasn’t there. I had to call 911 by myself. It took too long. Our firstborn, Duke, he didn’t make it.”

Garbonza exhales through his nose, slowly. “Can you prove that?”

“It was twelve years ago,” I say. “But I can try.”

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