So what? I just watch while Jennifer tries to take her away half the time. I'm not saying you can't care. I'm saying when it comes to custody court, your opinion doesn't count. It's me and Jennifer.
That's it. Selena's face shuddered. Right. Of course. I'm just the girlfriend who lives here.
That's not what I meant. Isn't it? She stood up. I've been here for over a year. I moved in.
I made promises to Chloe. I rearranged my entire life. But when it comes down to it, I'm not actually family. I'm just someone who's around. Selena, I have a call in 10 minutes.
She left before he could say anything else. Ethan sat alone in his kitchen and wondered how everything had gone sideways so fast. The lawyer confirmed what Ethan feared. Jennifer had a legitimate case. She could push for shared custody and likely get it.
The best he could hope for was a gradual transition, maybe starting with extended weekends, building up to week on week off over six months. "What if I fight it?" Ethan asked. The lawyer, a tired-looking woman named Patricia Chen, gave him a sympathetic look. You can fight, but unless you can prove she's unfit, an occasional absence doesn't qualify, you'll probably lose, and you'll burn through your savings and legal fees in the process. So, I just hand over my daughter.
You don't hand her over. You share parenting responsibilities with her mother. It's not ideal, but it's also not the worst outcome. Ethan left the office feeling hollowed out. He'd spent three years building a life with Khloe.
Three years of bedtime stories and homework help and being the one she called when she had a nightmare. And now Jennifer wanted to walk back in and split that in half. When he told Khloe that night, she took it worse than he expected. "I don't want to live with mom," she said immediately. "It wouldn't be all the time, just some of the time.
I don't want to live with her at all. I barely know her. She's your mother, sweetheart. You're my parent. You and Selena.
Mom's just someone who visits sometimes. The words made Ethan's chest ache. It's more complicated than that. No, it's not. You're making it complicated.
Khloe's eyes filled with tears. I don't want to go. Don't make me go. I'm not making you do anything. But if the court decides, I don't care what the court decides.
I'm staying here. She ran upstairs before he could stop her. He heard her bedroom door slam. Heard her crying through the walls. Selena appeared in the doorway.
That went well. Don't. I'm not being sarcastic. I mean, she's clear about what she wants. That should count for something.
She's nine. What she wants doesn't override legal custody agreements. Maybe it should. That's not how the world works. The world is stupid, then.
Despite everything, Ethan almost smiled. Yeah, it really is. Selena sat beside him on the couch. What can I do? I don't know.
Be here. Don't disappear when this gets messy. I'm not going anywhere. You sure? Because this is going to get ugly.
Jennifer is going to be around more. There's going to be logistics and arguments and Chloe caught in the middle. It's not the peaceful life you signed up for. I didn't sign up for peaceful. I signed up for you and Chloe.
Mess included. He pulled her close, grateful and terrified in equal measure because the truth was he had no idea how to navigate this. How to share his daughter with someone who'd walked away three years ago. How to keep Selena from feeling like an outsider in a fight that was legally none of her business. The first official visit happened two weeks later.
Jennifer picked Khloe up Friday after school for a weekend trial run. Khloe went reluctantly, her backpack clutched to her chest like armor. It's just two days, Ethan told her. You'll be back Sunday night. What if I don't want to come back?
Chloe said quietly. What? What if mom's place is better? What if I like it there and want to stay? Ethan's throat tightened.
Then we'll figure it out. But I don't think that's going to happen. You don't know that. You're right. I don't.
He knelt down to her level. But I know that I love you, and nothing's going to change that. Not custody agreements, not court orders, nothing. Khloe hugged him. Fierce and quick.
Then Jennifer's car pulled up and she was gone. The house felt wrong without her. Too quiet, too empty. Ethan tried to grade papers and gave up. Tried to watch TV and couldn't focus.
Finally, he just sat on the porch and stared at nothing. Selena found him there an hour later. She'll be fine, Selena said. I know Jennifer's not a monster. She's just a parent trying to be involved.
I know that, too. Then why do you look like someone died? Because for three years, it's been me and Khloe. Just us. And now I have to share her with someone who chose to leave.
And I hate it. I hate every second of it. Selena sat beside him. You're allowed to hate it. What am I?
Because everyone keeps telling me I should be happy Jennifer wants to be involved. that Khloe deserves a relationship with her mother. And they're right, but it still feels like losing. It is losing a little bit. That doesn't make you a bad person. They sat in silence as the sun went down.
Ethan's phone stayed quiet. No texts from Chloe. No updates from Jennifer. Just silence. What if she does want to stay there?
Ethan asked quietly. She won't. But what if she does? What if Jennifer's place is nicer, newer, more exciting? What if I can't compete?
You're not competing. You're her father. That's not something Jennifer can replace. She's her mother. That's not something I can replace either.
Selena took his hand. Stop. You're spiraling. I'm being realistic. You're catastrophizing.
There's a difference. She turned to face him. Khloe loves you. She chose to tell you she didn't want to go. That means something.