Chapter 14 - SIX MONTHS
Six months earlier, Jake had taken me out for our anniversary.
A nice restaurant.
A table by the window.
He ordered dessert and reached across the table for my hand.
I had gone home that night thinking we might still have a chance.
The next morning, I worked an extra shift.
While I answered phones, Jake left the broker a voicemail about removing me from the property transaction as soon as possible.
Linda’s voice followed his.
“She’ll sign if you catch her when she’s tired.”
I listened once.
That was enough.
The attack had not started the betrayal.
It had interrupted a plan already underway.
When the legal proceedings moved forward, the charges reflected separate actions: the assault, contact after release, and allegations tied to the documents.
Linda and Don faced their own scrutiny for what they had done.
It took months.
There were hearings.
Delays.
Requests for records.
Days when nothing happened and I still slept with my phone under my pillow.
Jake’s relatives stopped sending advice when Maya told them further messages were being documented.
Some disappeared.
One apologized.
I didn’t owe any of them an answer.
The house remained mine while the disputed transactions were untangled.
I arranged for Jake’s parents to leave through the proper process.
When they finally moved out, Linda left a grocery list on the refrigerator.
Milk.
Eggs.
Chicken.
As though I might still be expected to feed them.
I tore it in half.
Then I cried over a grocery list.
Claire sat on the floor beside me.
She didn’t tell me to move on.
She handed me another tissue.
Before the final hearing, Jake’s attorney contacted Maya about an agreement.
I wouldn’t have to testify through every detail if he accepted responsibility under the terms being discussed.
I read the proposed statement.
It said there had been an argument.
It said he regretted the injuries.
It did not say he caused them.
I pushed it back.
“No.”
Maya looked at me.
“I want the words to be true.”
The revised statement arrived the next day.
He admitted striking me.
He admitted trying to stop me from getting help.
The property matters were addressed separately, with the records and evidence already gathered.
I read the statement again.
For years, he had made me say I was fine.
Now he would have to say what he had done.
At the hearing, I sat behind Maya.
Jake turned when I entered.
His eyes moved over my face.
The swelling was gone.
He leaned toward his attorney.
Then the judge asked whether he accepted responsibility.
May you like
Jake looked directly at me.
And for one terrifying second, he opened his mouth as though he might blame me again.
