Page 68 of The Me I Left Behind

“Of course, we will not agree to any of that.”

“No.” Her stomach was still queasy though…that he could even think about taking her kids. And this mental health issue? How far would he take that? The last thing she wanted was to rehash her dysfunctional relationship with her mother.

“Him having custody of the kids would be traumatic for them, Julia. Please play that up. Chloe is not prepared emotionally for anything like this. And Jason? I’m not sure he is, either. Carol will outright rebel, refuse, and tell him to go to hell.”

“You’re right. I will definitely play up the trauma angle, but since Carol is heading off to college in a few months, her issue is moot—except for Max footing the bill. Jason’s input will be considered down the road. And like you, I worry mostly about Chloe. Just don’t mention the custody issue to them. I will make sure this does not happen.”

“Too late. We talked last night, so they know about the pending divorce, and why. Jason was having a hard time, so I had to tell him everything. Chloe was….” She sniffled. “They had lots of questions, and I told them what I could. They needed some assurance that I would not let Max take them. But I won’t say anything more until things are final.”

“Oh, Mags. How did that go?”

“Rough.” She sniffed and wiped her nose with a napkin. “But things were better this morning.”

Angie swept up to the table with a tray, setting both breakfasts in front of the women. “Enjoy, darlings. Let me know if you need anything else.”

Maggie took one look at her eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, and rushed off to find a restroom.

When she returned,Maggie noticed Julia had asked Angie to take her breakfast away—which was a shame, since an hour earlier, she’d been craving a good country breakfast.

But not now.

“I had her bring tea. That okay?” Julia said.

“Perfect. I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s okay, Mags. This shit is going to get worse before it gets better. We just don’t need to get ahead of ourselves.”

“I can’t stand the thought of Max getting custody of the kids.”

Julia shook her head. “That will not happen. We’ll present to the judge that he abandoned his kids here, because he has a new family in Australia. He will argue that he wants his family intact. While he has broken no laws, his ethics and morals are questionable, and we will double down on that. The other thing is the domestic violence charges that were never filed. I know we discussed that, but I didn’t push it. Technically, we could get a prosecutor to file charges against Max within two years of the event. It’s a misdemeanor, but could mean jail time if he’s found liable. Getting those charges filed while he is in the U.S. for the divorce hearing could be a plus. I’m sure he wouldn’t expect it.”

Maggie exhaled, feeling a little better. “Let’s do that.”

“Great. I agree. I’ll get in touch with the right people, and we’ll go from there.”

“Okay. So, should we go over the divorce papers now?”

Julia reached for the file. “We should.” She opened the folder, handed Maggie a copy, and kept one for herself. “North Carolina is a no-fault divorce state, but we can claim fault for an absolute divorce and seek separation support and maybe alimony. I’m suggesting we claim marital misconduct due toabandonment, illicit sexual behavior, and cruel and barbarous treatment endangering your life. In North Carolina, you also have to be separated at least for a year—living apart—before the divorce is granted. This is April, almost May, so you’re nearly five months in. Under no circumstances is Max to come home and stay in that house overnight. You can’t let that happen. Call a locksmith and get the locks changed as soon as possible. We don’t want anything to trigger a reset on that length of time.”

Maggie nodded. “Gotcha.”

“If you look further, you’ll see that I’m asking for equitable property distribution, spousal support, and full custody. Max will pay health insurance for you for two years—allowing you enough time to find employment with benefits—and for the kids until they are out of college. He will pay for their private schools and college expenses.”

Maggie sighed. “Sounds like a lot.”

“You and the children deserve a lot.”

“There’s more, nitty-gritty details we can get into.” She glanced at the time.

Maggie figured there was. “What time is it?”

“Nearly eleven.”

“I have time. Let’s get it done.” She was ready to nail Max Oliver’s hide to the wall.

The driveback to Rocky Mount provided the space she needed to let her mind drift while cruising the highway. She contemplated taking the longer way home, ditching the main road and traveling the narrow back roads, but then thought better of it. While she had plenty of time before making theschool pickups—she didn’t want to risk any delays or unexpected detours.

Still, she had an hour to process all that she and Julia had discussed. And after her chaotic and emotional day yesterday, she needed that time. Letting her mind simply go blank—not thinking of anything in particular at all—was a welcome change.

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