My husband cheated. I packed my kids and drove to my parents’ house. My father opened the door, looked at my three children standing behind me, and slowly closed it. My brother said no space. My sister called me impulsive. I picked up that garbage bag, walked back to my car, and I whispered 3 words..

The judge’s ruling was decisive. I was awarded primary physical and legal custody. Caspian was granted alternating weekends and a two-week block during the summer. Furthermore, the judge ordered Caspian to pay eight months of retroactive child support—a substantial sum that his legal team attempted with incredible creativity to reduce. They failed spectacularly.

News in our suburban enclave travels with the speed of a lit fuse. It didn’t take long for the details of the settlement to reach my family through the neighborhood grapevine.

Two days after the final gavel fell, my cell phone vibrated. The caller ID flashed Levette’s name. It was the first time she had initiated contact since the night she denied us entry.

I let it ring three times, regulating my breathing, before sliding my thumb across the screen. “Hello.”