Divorce Over Two-Fifty

y her side for over an hour, just watching the steady rise

wed by the sound of Leo and Sophia' s cheerful laughter.

iling, holding shopping bags. Sophia was showing him something on he

ltering slightly when he saw the look on my face

at my sides. "Where was Lily?" I

girl now, I' m sure she' s alread

she at four o' cloc

his eyes. "Four o' clock? We were..

out like chips of ice. "They found her. Alone. Cryi

Right. The Sky Screamer." He looked around, as if ch

ef. "No thanks to you! You abandoned her, Leo! You left our

e. "Sophia wanted to play one of the carnival games across the way. I told Lily I'

sorry. He was annoyed that I was angry. "She was terrified, Leo. She thought

ure of pure exasperation. "Look, she' s fine, isn'

ht have been clinging to, snapped. I looked at this man, this stranger

," I said, the wo

eplaced by a cold, calculating anger. "We' re not havi

m done. I am done with you, with this... arrangement, with watch

do you think a divorce will do to Lily? Do you want her to grow up in a broken home? Do you want

weapon to keep me in line, to make me feel guilty and monstrous

e lacked conviction. He knew exactly where to strike. The thought of h

vantage. "She needs a father. She needs a stable home. Are

oul-crushing exhaustion. I couldn' t argue with his twisted logic. I co

him and his empty, poisonous words. I curled up on the small rug besid