Parenting is exhausting. Parenting while working three jobs to stay afloat is Ethan searched for adequate descriptor. It's survival mode. You just do what needs doing and try not to think about whether you're doing it well enough. Sarah made note on her pad.
The article this morning characterized your employment situation as instability, but from what I understand, you work maintenance at the Regency Crown Drive delivery routes and pick up catering shifts. That's not instability. That's someone working 60 plus hours a week to provide for their child. Thank you for recognizing the difference. So, when you met Victoria Sterling, how did that happen?
The official story says you met professionally about a year ago. Ethan had memorized the timeline Jennifer constructed, but sitting in interview with cameras recording felt different from rehearsing with a lawyer. This was permanent record. We met at a conference where Victoria was speaking. I was doing maintenance work at the venue.
We started talking during breaks. Discovered we had more in common than our economic differences suggested. The lies came easier than they should. We both understood what it meant to lose people. Her mother died when she was 19.
My wife died 3 years ago. That shared grief created connection that went deeper than what our bank account suggested was possible. and your relationship developed from there. Slowly, neither of us was rushing into anything. I had Lily to consider. Victoria had her career, but over time, we realized we made each other's lives better.
That having partner who understood pressure made pressure more bearable. Sarah leaned forward slightly. The article suggests you're financially motivated, that you saw opportunity and took it. What do you say to people who think you're with Victoria for her money? Ethan let himself feel the anger that question deserved.
Let it show on his face. I say they're revealing their own prejudices about class and worth. I work three jobs. I provide for my daughter. I pay my bills, even when paying them means choosing between electricity and groceries.
If people think I need to marry someone for money, that says more about how they value human dignity than it does about my character. Do you love her, Victoria? The question hit harder than Ethan expected because he didn't have answer he was confident about. What he felt for Victoria was complicated. Gratitude for how she treated Lily.
Respect for her competence. Growing affection that might be love or might just be proximity. But saying any of that on camera would undermine the narrative. I love that she reads to Lily without being asked. I love that she works 16-hour days and still finds energy to build block towers.
I love that she understands what it means to survive loss without letting loss define you. Ethan paused. Whether that's romantic love or deep respect, I'm still figuring out. But I know she matters to me in ways that have nothing to do with her bank account. The interview continued for another 30 minutes.