Chapter 12: The Agreement
The final settlement was signed on a quiet morning in early December.
I retained the house. Child support was set at a fair guideline amount with clear enforcement provisions. Legal custody would be joint, but primary physical custody rested with me. Derek received a defined schedule of supervised parenting time that could expand only after consistent compliance and a court review. The false accusations of infidelity were formally withdrawn.
I signed the documents in Rebecca’s office with a steady hand. When it was finished she walked me to the elevator.
“You held the line,” she said. “A lot of people in your position don’t.”
“I had the dates,” I answered. “And I had the baby.”
Outside, the city moved through its ordinary afternoon. I drove home, unlocked the door, and stood for a moment in the foyer of the house that was now unquestionably mine. The air no longer carried the tension of waiting for the next accusation or the next demand. It simply felt quiet.
May you like
I walked to the nursery and sat in the glider I had assembled myself, one hand resting on the curve of my stomach. The baby shifted under my palm, a small, certain movement.
“We’re all right,” I said aloud. “We’re going to be all right.”
