Page 62 of Loyal
“What for?” I ask, tossing my hands up in the air.
“For sole custody. Not only that, I’m going to ask for a mental evaluation. You’re clearly going through something and aren’t making safe decisions. In fact, maybe I should look into seeing if you’re mentally competent. Maybe you shouldn’t be able to make any decisions for yourself.”
“You can’t be serious. Like you’ve officially lost your mind,” I say, shaking my head.
He tilts his head. “Have I, though? I look forward to seeing you in court, Samantha. And remember, we were married for a long time, pillow talk and all that…”
Before I can say anything else, he turns and walks away.
“Unbelievable,” I mutter as I watch him peel out of my driveway.
Lawyer. I need to call my lawyer, and I need to talk to Loyal. Not because I want to end things but because I want his advice. He’s the first person I want to go to when things are hard and confusing.
Turning, I walk back inside.
“Did you have a good week at school?” I ask Farrah, trying to give her an ounce of normal.
“Why are you two always fighting?” she grumbles.
I sigh and lean against the edge of the couch. My body aches like I’m holding the weight of the world on my shoulders, and in a way, I am. I’m holding her world in the palm of my hand, and I’m fucking it up. I try to think of a way to lessen what’s happening so I don’t hurt her, but I can’t. Not anymore.
“Honestly, Farrah, I don’t know. The last thing I want to do is fight with your dad and for it to affect you. I swear to God, I’m not doing it intentionally. This is just one of the ways we aren’t meant to be together anymore. We bring out the worst in eachother, but that shouldn’t touch you. I’ll try harder to keep you out of it.”
She laughs sarcastically. “Come on, Mom. You can’t protect me from this. Not when he’s wanting to go back to court.”
I know she’s not trying to hurt me, but it does.
“I’m sorry.”
“Why, Mom? Do you even realize I’m in the middle of this? That the divorce impacted me in ways that I can’t explain? It wasn’t as simple as Dad just moving out and having to go between two homes for me.”
“I’m sorry. You were never supposed to be put in the middle. We’re supposed to protect you, and we’re failing. I promise you, Farrah, I’ll do whatever I can to make this better for you.”
“It’s not only you, Mom,” she says, making my heart skip a beat.
“What?” I rasp as my mind starts to race.
“Does it matter? Either way I’m the one who’s paying for it. Me. Not you. Not Dad. Me.”
Before her words can really register, she storms out of the room, leaving me alone standing in the middle of the room.
What the fuck just happened, and what have I been missing?
“I’m glad business is going well.”
Antonio nods. “I won’t lie, I had some concerns about joining forces with your club, but it’s been good for us. The growth we’ve made is insane.”
“I’m glad.”
“Speaking of business, I’ve cleared my schedule for the end of the month to go up to Chicago.”
“I appreciate you doing that. I know you were apprehensive.”
“I’m trusting you. I would still like someone to go with me, though,” he says, shifting in his seat.
“No problem. I know one of our older members, Dagger, is going up there at the end of the month. His daughter goes to college up there, and he’s going to some parents’ weekend thing. Is that enough, or would you like another member to come with you?”
“As long as I could meet him beforehand, it should be okay.”
