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Our Home Was Ashes Before I Smelled the Smoke
Part 2 (Part 1 here)
He was never this late. We waited, nerves on edge, for him to arrive to pick up the kids. But this time, it was different.
This time, they had decided they were not going to go with him, custody arrangement or not.
The doorbell rang. This was it.
The oldest went to the door to be their spokesperson.
Looking back, did the Ex plan it all? He had stopped providing enough food at his place, left them alone frequently, and was already emotionally unavailable. He had nothing to gain from throwing our kids into the mix of his new family and his new bride.
His time living around the corner in a rental house in our neighborhood was limited, because his wedding to his pregnant coworker had thwarted my idealistic and (as it turns out) naïve idea to keep him close by for the kids’ stability. I thought maybe he could find himself, learn to be alone, and then eventually move on. Ha. He had moved on long before…
He was good at making stuff happen his way, acting all charming and diffident. I had no idea who he really was. I still have trouble believing anyone can lie to my face, much less someone in the same house, car, and bed with me. The innocence of those blue eyes…
