Page 105 of The Silence Between

“But we have school,” Sophie said, confusion etched in her features.

“And you're still going,” I assured her. “All of you. I'll handle this.”

“How?” Mari asked, the practical question cutting through my false confidence.

How indeed. I needed to call Damien immediately, arrange emergency childcare, notify the bookstore I'd miss my shift, somehow get to the courthouse without a car since Mari would have it for college classes, prepare some kind of defense against whatever this emergency hearing entailed, and manage all this without completely falling apart in front of the kids.

“One step at a time,” I said, the mantra that had carried us through a decade of impossible situations. “I'll make the calls I need to make. We've handled worse.”

Had we, though? As I ushered them through their morning routines, my mind raced with the calculated cruelty of the attack. Dad showing up drunk was nothing new, but the court document represented a level of strategic manipulation that suggested Townsend's direct involvement. The date, time, location, lack of notice—all perfectly designed to hit us at our most vulnerable.

After they left, I stood in the kitchen, stillness settling over the apartment like a physical weight. My hands began to shake, the adrenaline that had kept me functional in front of the kids now demanding its due. I dialled Damien’s office with trembling fingers, praying he'd be in early.

“Leo?” His voice carried immediate concern when he heard mine. “What's happened?”

“Emergency hearing. Today. Two o'clock.” My words came out choppy, breathing suddenly difficult to control. “Judge Alvarez's courtroom. Miguel showed up with papers this morning. Drunk. Maybe worse.”

“I'm looking up the filing now,” Damien replied, keyboard clicking in the background. “This wasn't on the docket yesterday. There's no way you received proper notice.”

“Tell that to the county clerk's stamp on the document in my hand,” I said, pulling it from my pocket and smoothing the crumpled paper on the counter. “Looks official enough to me.”

“I'll be there in thirty minutes. Don't go anywhere. And Leo? Breathe. This has Townsend written all over it, which means he's desperate. We can fight this.”

I hung up and immediately called Eleanor at the bookstore, explaining the situation in clipped sentences. Her immediate understanding and support should have been comforting, but only increased my anxiety. Another person making allowances, another job at risk because of my family situation, another crack in the foundation I'd been trying so hard to stabilize.

Next, I called Mrs. Hernandez next door, who thankfully agreed to meet the kids after school if needed. Then the school, leaving messages for each of their teachers explaining potential early dismissal. Each call ticked another box in crisis management mode, my body moving through practiced motions while my mind screamed with the unfairness of it all.

When had I last slept more than four hours? When had I eaten something that wasn't leftover kid food or a rushed snack between shifts? The edges of my vision seemed to waver slightly, fatigue and stress creating a tunnel effect I recognized from previous breaking points.

I tried calling Ethan three times while waiting for Damien, each call going straight to voicemail. “Hey, it's me,” I said on the third attempt, voice cracking slightly. “There's an emergency hearing today. Miguel showed up with court papers. I... could use some backup, if you're around. It's at two, Judge Alvarez's courtroom. Just... call me when you get this, please.”

The vulnerability in my voice shocked even me. After years of handling crises alone, explicitly asking for help still felt like confessing weakness. But the thought of facing this particular battle without Ethan beside me created a hollow ache in my chest I couldn't ignore.

By the time Damien arrived, I'd compiled every document we might possibly need, organized into the color-coded folders he'd helped me prepare during our last legal session. My hands had mostly stopped shaking. My breathing had regulated. Outwardly, I appeared in control, the facade I'd perfected through years of practice.

Inside, I was crumbling.

* * *

The courthousehallway bustled with midday activity, lawyers in suits hurrying between courtrooms, clerks carrying stacks of files, families waiting anxiously on hard wooden benches. I sat alone, Damien having gone to file our emergency motion for continuance based on improper notice.

My phone showed no missed calls from Ethan. I'd tried twice more, each attempt increasing the sick feeling in my stomach. Where was he? Had something happened, or was this just unfortunate timing? The rational part of my brain understood he could be in meetings, teaching classes, phone dead or silenced. The part shaped by a lifetime of abandonment whispered darker possibilities.

My phone vibrated with a text from Diego:

Diego

Ms. Wilson pulled me out of class. Said I seemed anxious. Can I come home?

Leo

Everything's fine. Try to focus on your classes. I'll update you after the hearing.

Another lie in the endless series of deceptions meant to protect them. How much of their lives had been shaped by these well-intentioned falsehoods? How much damage had I done trying to shelter them from painful truths?

The courthouse bathroom offered momentary privacy to splash cold water on my face. The mirror revealed a stranger wearing my features, eyes shadowed with exhaustion, skin ashen under the fluorescent lights, mouth set in a grim line I barely recognized. When had I aged so much? When had the boy who once dreamed of college and literature and a different life been replaced by this hollow-eyed man held together by sheer stubborn will?

Damien found me as I exited the bathroom, his expression tight with controlled anger. “We've got a problem. Judge Alvarez is presiding today, and he's known to be sympathetic to Townsend's family values platform. I've filed our continuance motion, but he could still proceed with the hearing given the 'emergency' nature of the filing.”

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