Page 104 of The Silence Between

“Don't forget your permission slip,” I reminded her, sliding apple slices into a ziplock bag. “Art museum trip tomorrow.”

“Already in my folder,” she replied without looking up from her intricate braiding pattern. “And you already signed it.”

I smiled despite my exhaustion. Things were... stable. Not perfect, not easy, but finally finding balance. The custody review had been suspended following our legal intervention. My community college classes started next week. The bookstore job provided both meaning and regular hours. And Ethan... well, that was evolving into something I still hadn't fully defined but that filled the hollow spaces I'd forgotten existed inside me.

“Mari, can you pick up Sophie today?” I asked, already calculating afternoon logistics in my head.

“Sure, I can pick up Sophie and drop her at dance before my shift at the library,” she replied, highlighting something on her financial aid form.

“I've got debate club,” Diego added, mouth full of toast. “Done at four.”

I nodded, mentally adjusting our carefully choreographed schedule. “I'll pick you up after, then we'll grab Sophie together. I should be off work by?—“

The knock at our door wasn't so much a knock as a pounding, the hollow wood rattling in its frame. Something cold slithered down my spine as all four of us froze, eyes meeting in silent understanding built from years of shared experience.

“Stay here,” I said quietly, setting down the knife and moving toward the door.

Through the peephole, I saw my father's distorted face, eyes bloodshot, mouth twisted in what might have been a smile or a grimace. My heart crawled into my throat as I turned back to my siblings, signaling with a subtle head tilt toward the bedroom. Mari immediately went into protective mode, guiding Sophie toward the far side of the apartment while Diego moved to stand just behind me, tall enough now to be backup rather than just another child to protect.

I opened the door just enough to block entrance, keeping my voice steady. “Dad. It's seven thirty in the morning. What are you doing here?”

“Came to see my kids,” he slurred, swaying slightly. The reek of alcohol rolled off him in waves, though his eyes held the manic gleam that suggested something stronger than just booze in his system. “Got court papers. Today's the day, Leo. Told you I'd get my rights back.”

He thrust a wrinkled document at my chest. I took it mechanically, not letting my eyes leave his face as I unfolded it with one hand. The header was official enough: Emergency Hearing Notice, stamped with the county clerk's seal, dated yesterday. My eyes scanned the text quickly, stomach dropping with each word.

“This is scheduled for two o'clock today,” I said, fighting to keep my voice even. “Which doesn't explain why you're at our apartment, intoxicated, at seven thirty in the morning.”

“Wanted to see my babies before the judge gives them back to me.” He tried to peer around me into the apartment. “Where are they? Diego! Sophie! Mari! Your daddy's here!”

I stepped fully into the doorway, blocking his view and any potential entry. “They're getting ready for school. You need to leave, Dad. You're in no condition to be around them right now.”

“Don't tell me when I can see my own fucking kids,” he snarled, mood shifting with the volatile unpredictability of someone on more than just alcohol. “You've poisoned them against me. Turned them into strangers. But that ends today.”

He tried to push past me into the apartment. I braced against the doorframe, using my body as a physical barrier. Despite his deterioration, he was still a construction worker with the wiry strength addiction couldn't completely erase.

“You need to leave,” I repeated, voice hardening. “Now.”

“Or what? You gonna call the cops on your own father? Again?” He leaned in closer, his breath sour in my face. “Two o'clock, Leo. Judge Alvarez's courtroom. I know you work days. I know you can't get childcare that fast. I know you'll have to miss work again. How many absences before they fire you from that fancy bookstore job, huh?”

The deliberate calculation behind the timing suddenly clicked. This wasn't random. The hearing scheduled during school hours, the lack of advance notice, the specific details tailored to create maximum disruption to our finally stabilizing lives.

“Townsend put you up to this,” I said, the realization like ice water in my veins.

Dad's twisted smile confirmed it without words. “See you in court, son. Wear something nice for once. First impressions matter.”

He turned and staggered down the hallway, leaving the court document crushed in my fist and terror blooming in my chest. I closed the door, pressing my forehead against it for just a moment before turning to face my siblings.

“Was that Dad?” Sophie asked, her small voice carrying across the suddenly silent apartment.

“Yeah.” I forced my face into a neutral expression, shoving the document into my back pocket. “Nothing to worry about. Just some paperwork confusion we need to sort out.”

“Bullshit,” Diego muttered, the curse holding more fear than defiance. “He smelled like the bad days. And there's a hearing, isn't there? Can he take us away?”

Mari moved to my side, her eyes finding the edge of paper sticking out of my pocket. “What's happening, Leo?”

I looked at their faces, these children who weren't really children anymore.

“Court hearing this afternoon,” I admitted, seeing no point in lying when they'd obviously overheard. “Just a stalling tactic. Damien warned us they might try something like this.”

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