I began to gather my belongings at a very slow pace, making sure I did not forget anything.
“Emily,” he said to me, as if we were continuing a business relationship, “I will have someone coordinate the scheduling of the kids with you.”
“I am not going to participate,” I explained.
He hesitated. “What do you mean by that?”
“You will have to work through my attorney.”
His expression became tense. “You do not need to make this any harder.”
“I am not doing that,” I assured him. “I am being clear about how I will communicate with you.”
As I exited the courthouse, I was escorted by my attorney Robert Hayes.
“You were very professional about it,” he stated.
“I was not trying to be professional; I am not a professional in the field of law,” I explained.
“You did precisely what you stated you would do. You were calm. You did not press the issue.”
Robert lowered his voice. “Are you sure you are ready for the next steps?”
“Yes.”
“Regarding the children?”
“They will be fine. They require stability; they do not need all of this rollercoaster of emotions,” I stated, even though I felt the tightening in my chest. I need stability and stability is provided by being at home.
The car was there to pick me up.Before bedtime, I had packed three small suitcases containing passports and legal documents; I had placed all of the copies of the agreements Robert and I made after months of preparation in my carry-on bag.
The first one to notice while I waited in the car for the kids to fall asleep was Lily.
“Mom, where are we going?” Lily asked as I pulled away from the courthouse.
“We are going on a trip,” I responded.
Ethan asked, “A vacation?”
“Something like that.”
Noah, my youngest, stared out of the car window clutching his teddy bear, ascending to new heights with my calming response to his question.
“Is Dad coming with us?” Lily asked.
“No,” I replied. “Just the three of us.”
The check-in, security, and boarding process at the airport occurred quickly. I chose to book an early morning flight, intending to reduce the amount of time available for any questions or for Daniel to suspect anything prior to boarding.
Once seated, I placed Noah into his seatbelt and wrapped him in a blanket for comfort.
“Where are we going?” Noah asked.
“To a new place,” I replied.
As the plane began ascending into the clouds over the city, I looked out of the window and reflected on the past 20 years of life I had developed in my hometown, including my home, my kitchen, and everything in between.
Finally, I let go of the past.
Meanwhile, across the city, Daniel was likely arriving at the clinic with Vanessa, surrounded by family members who had come to celebrate what they believed was the start of a new journey together as husband and wife.
The whole situation had actually begun days before.
Daniel had signed a marriage agreement this morning containing a clause he barely read; he had made false statements regarding the financial disclosures of the finances of the parties involved.It had been a long time since I had waited for life to happen to me. I took the initiative.
When we arrived at our destination, I didn’t answer the phone even though it started to ring right as we landed.
There was a noticeable difference in the air quality between the airport and where we just came from. The rental home I found for myself and the kids was very basic, as well as very clean, and it was located very close to the school I had already contacted. There was nothing excessive about it because it was more than sufficient for what we needed.
I had spent several weeks getting ready — I made numerous phone calls before the sun rose every day and sent several emails to an email address that Daniel was unaware of. Every document I had was copied, organized, and checked over and over.
Once the kids were settled in, I stepped out onto the small patio and finally picked up my phone.
I had five missed calls:
Three from Daniel
Two from the other number I was already aware of
Instead of responding to either of those, I called Robert.
“Are you at your destination?” he greeted.
“We’ve made it,” I responded.
“Then we’re getting started,” he replied.
Daniel’s accounts have been temporarily frozen and are undergoing review. The IRS has opened an investigation into the discrepancies that exist between what he claimed to earn versus what has actually been transferred. The divorce agreement has been restructured based on this latest discovery and as a result of the previous discovery of fraud.
Whatever deal Daniel had on the table that morning has just been pulled off the table and given to someone else.
I didn’t feel any feeling of accomplishment. There was no excitement; just a feeling of having corrected an imbalance in the family.
At the office, Daniel stands with Vanessa in front of the ultrasound machine while his family is gathered around and watching the screen. Daniel’s mom is already referring to the child of Vanessa as her grandchild.
Then the technician’s facial expression transitioned
“I’ll go get the doctor,” she instructed.
Once the physician entered the exam room, he examined the images displayed on the screen and began to ask a series of questions related to the timing and due dates for this pregnancy.The cycle dates registered. The possible dates for conception were established and confirmed by Vanessa but the tension was palpable throughout all of the room.
The Doctor confirmed that the timeline given by Vanessa and the timeline given by the Doctor for pregnancy did not match up.
Daniel’s voice dropped in volume. “How soon before?”
“Before you two were together in a relationship at all,” the Doctor indicated.