Chapter 6 - THE SEPARATION
When I finally met Daniel at Melissa’s office, he looked smaller than he had on Jenna’s porch.
He had brought his own attorney.
That was when our separation became real.
We worked out temporary arrangements for Lily. Daniel could see her on a regular schedule, and neither of us would discuss the disagreement with her. I moved back into the apartment with Lily after Daniel agreed to stay with Carol while we worked through the separation.
The apartment felt unfamiliar without him.
His shoes were gone from the entryway. His coffee mug was gone from the drying rack. Half the closet was empty.
Lily noticed everything.
“Is Dad mad at you?” she asked on our first night back.
“No,” I said carefully. “Dad and I are having grown-up problems, and we’re working on them.”
“Because Grandma got angry?”
I sat down beside her on the couch.
“That was part of a difficult night.”
“She was going to hit you.”
My throat tightened.
“She lifted her hand. I saw it.”
May you like
I had been so focused on what Carol had done toward me that I had nearly forgotten Lily had been watching.
I told her she had done nothing wrong and did not need to fix anything between adults. Then we watched a movie and ate microwave popcorn for dinner.
