Chapter 7

Once Zoe was settled in, I applied for a transfer at work. Just like that, I went from managing the after-sales department to working as a sales rep.

I wanted to give one last push for the future Zoe and I deserved.

For two months, we had been living on our own.

Between work and taking care of Zoe, I had gone from barely holding everything together to managing it all with ease. I felt more motivated than ever and genuinely hopeful about the future.

In those two months, Madison didn't visit Zoe once. I knew she was waiting me out, convinced I would eventually give in and come back.

During those quiet hours late at night, I often found myself thinking about our marriage and the part Madison really played in our lives over the past ten years.

In the beginning, she gave me warmth and a sense of belonging. She also gave me Zoe. Beyond that, there was nothing but coldness and disappointment.

Madison never offered a single word of comfort when I was exhausted and overwhelmed. She never held Zoe when Zoe woke from a nightmare.

All she ever did was follow Grace's lead and accuse me of not doing enough for the family.

Yet whenever I stepped in, they would frown and tell me I was overstepping, reminding me that I wasn't really one of them.

Madison spent every dollar I worked so hard to earn on the rest of her family without a second thought. Whenever she bought anything for Zoe or me, it was always whatever she could find on clearance.

She was like a needle buried deep under my skin, draining me dry to feed the family behind her. No matter how much she took, it was never enough.

After more than ten years of feeling numb, the pain finally snapped me back to reality.

Now, I wanted that needle out.

I had just started thinking about how to bring up divorce when Madison called me first.

Her voice was frantic.

"Peter, get to Central Hospital right now. Hurry, and bring as much money as you can!"

I was about to take Zoe to the zoo. The panic in Madison's voice made me leave her with Vanessa, who ran the after-school program downstairs. I drove straight to the hospital.

When I found Madison, she was pacing outside the entrance. The moment I called her name, she rushed toward me as if I were her only hope.

"What happened?" I asked. "Who's in the hospital?"

Madison gave me an uneasy look. "Simon pushed the woman who lives downstairs down the stairs. She's eight months pregnant. She lost a lot of blood, and the doctors are trying to save her."

My mind went blank.

How was that any different from attempted murder? What kind of child could do something so horrific?

"Where's Simon? Where are your parents? Why are you the only one here? And where's the woman's family?" I asked.

"Mom took Simon somewhere to hide because she was afraid the woman's family would hurt him. Dad told me to call you so you could work out a settlement with them," she replied.