Chapter 12
Daniel asked for mediation.
Karen advised caution.
I agreed only because custody terms needed structure.
The meeting lasted thirty minutes.
Daniel sat across from me, looking tired and angry.
“I never wanted to hurt Lily.”
I stared at him.
“You let Madison grab her.”
“I thought Lily needed to get used to her.”
“She is six.”
“She’s resilient.”
“No,” I said. “She is a child. Adults keep using that word when they want children to survive what they should have been protected from.”
His mouth closed.
Good.
He said, “Madison is gone.”
“I don’t care.”
“I ended it.”
“I don’t care.”
He looked wounded.
That almost made me laugh.
He thought ending an affair repaired an attempted custody ambush.
“I want my family back,” he said.
I leaned forward.
“You packed our daughter’s medicine so your mistress could take her.”
His eyes filled.
“I panicked.”
May you like
“No. You planned.”
He had no answer.
