55. Chapter 55
Chapter 55
Feeling drained, Paige drove home, where she fed Sputnik, poured a glass of wine, drank half of it, and then FaceTimed Jules.
“Hey, how did it—”
Paige started in, cutting Jules off, and basically spoke for the next twenty-five minutes, filling her in on what had been revealed during the meeting with Lauren, in regard to Jacob’s abuse.
“Well, that’s really …” Jules trailed off with an extended sigh. “Jesus, it’s just astonishing to me how much people can suck. Especially when it comes to children.”
Paige finished her glass of wine, and debated pouring another one—a debate that ended rather quickly, because her day had been a crap-fest. “I know.”
“So, what happens next?” Jules asked.
Paige relayed the bad news/good news conversation between David and Lauren.
“Hmm. Well, whatever Plan B is, at least Lauren has one,” Jules said.
“Yeah, and hopefully it can get David sole custody because I really don’t know how he’d handle having to keep sharing custody with Ashley after all of this—even if it’s just two weekends a month. Especially if Liam continued to be in her life and would eventually be allowed contact with Jacob again.”
Jules frowned. “I know we’re talking about Ashley here, but do you think she would continue to have Liam in her life? After everything that’s happened?”
Paige exhaled loudly. “I’d like to think that if she really didn’t know what’s been going on, she’d kick his abusive ass to the curb once she found out, but her number one priority has always been herself, and what she needs and wants. So, unfortunately, I don’t know if she would. And if she didn’t, it would become an ugly mess.”
“For you and David both,” Jules pointed out. “You’d be dealing with it, too.”
“Yes.”
They were both silent for a few moments, then Jules said, “Today was obviously rough. I’m sorry.”
“It was rough. It brought up a lot of shit for me, which I did my best to hide. There were times when I almost felt like I couldn’t breathe, especially when Lauren was telling us about the park. The fear and shame Jacob must have been feeling … it broke my heart.”
Jules gave her a thoughtful smile. “That little boy is really lucky to have you in his life. So is David, for that matter, and I hope he knows just how lucky he is after today.”