Chapter 7: First Structures
The following days were about building the next layer of practical ground.
I met with the family law attorney via video from Rachel’s spare room. She listened to the sequence—the keyboard request, the piano receipt, the comparison between Lily and Ethan, the divorce suggestion, the departure—and took notes without theatrical reaction. Temporary custody, child support, and a clear parenting schedule would be the first formal steps. The marital assets were limited; the priority was stability for Lily and a clean record of why we had left.
“Document everything going forward,” she said. “Communication through a single channel if possible. No arguments by text. Courts prefer patterns over isolated incidents, but what you already have is clear enough to start.”
I retained her that afternoon.
Lily began a short temporary enrollment process at the local school so she would not lose more than a few days of class. Rachel handled the daytime logistics while I dealt with paperwork and the careful transfer of remaining funds. Marcus’s messages continued in uneven waves—some accusing, some attempting reason, some demanding to speak to Lily directly. I routed the parenting-related ones through the attorney’s preferred method and left the rest unanswered.
On the fourth evening Lily sat at Rachel’s kitchen table practicing a simple rhythm exercise with two pencils, the way her music teacher had shown her before everything changed.
“I can still learn the notes,” she said without looking up. “Even without the keyboard.”
May you like
“Yes,” I said. “You can.”
She nodded, satisfied, and continued.
