PART TWO
Chapter Thirteen: The Divorce Plan
The evening was heavy with tension, the kind that made the air itself feel oppressive. Margret sat in the dim light of the living room, her hands folded tightly in her lap. Lucia was nearby, quietly drawing, unaware of the storm brewing just beyond the walls. Margret's stomach churned as she thought back to the late-night call. David's words—cold, calculated, and cruel—kept replaying in her mind: She isn't clean… I'll take full custody… divorce papers will be ready…
Every heartbeat reminded her of the danger. David's plan was no longer abstract—it was real. And it would not just hurt her; it would take the one thing she had worked her entire life to protect: her daughter.
Margret tried to calm herself. She had to think clearly. Fear would get them nowhere. But the thought of the divorce, of losing Lucia, gnawed at her chest like fire. She remembered the first time she had held her daughter, how small and fragile she had been, and how fiercely she had promised to keep her safe. That promise was now threatened by the man who had once called himself her husband.
Meanwhile, in another room, David spoke on the phone again. Margret caught fragments of his conversation, though he didn't realize she was listening.
"Yes… the lawyer will have everything ready by next week," he said, his voice smooth, almost casual, but tinged with a malice that sent a chill down her spine. "I'll file for divorce, claim full custody, and make sure everyone knows the truth about her. The neighbors, the courts… no one will question me. Lucia will be mine, and Margret… she'll be left with nothing."
Margret's fists clenched. His confidence was terrifying. He had been planning this meticulously, lining up allies, lawyers, and a narrative that would destroy her. And yet, he didn't know she had heard him. That small fact, almost insignificant, gave her a thread of power she could cling to.
Her mind raced with possibilities. How could she stop him? Could she fight legally? Could she escape first and make it impossible for him to find them? Every option had risks, and the weight of responsibility pressed down on her until it felt like it might crush her entirely.
She glanced at Lucia, who was humming quietly to herself while coloring. The innocence of her daughter, the trust in her eyes, made Margret's resolve harden. No matter what, she would protect her. No court, no lie, no plan from David would take Lucia from her without a fight.
That night, Margret could barely sleep. She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, listening to the faint sounds of David moving through the house. She felt like a prisoner in her own home, surrounded by a man who had once been her partner but was now her enemy.
She thought about what David had said: full custody, divorce, the world seeing her as "unclean." She realized that he was preparing for the battle legally and socially. Every paper, every conversation, every manipulated word would be another weapon aimed at her. And if she did nothing, she would lose.
Margret's mind was a whirlwind of strategy. She needed a plan. She needed to protect Lucia. Every choice had to be careful, calculated. If David succeeded in divorcing her and taking custody, the consequences would be devastating.
But Margret also knew she couldn't wait for him to act. She had to move first. Escape, hide, survive—these were no longer options but necessities. She had to think about where they could go, who they could trust, how she could manage her illness while keeping her daughter safe.
The night stretched on, filled with fear, anxiety, and determination. Margret understood that David's divorce plan was not just a threat—it was a ticking clock, counting down to the moment when her life would be overtaken.
By the first light of dawn, Margret had made a silent promise to herself: she would not be defeated. She would fight, she would protect her daughter, and she would survive. David might plan, manipulate, and scheme—but Margret would act first.
And in that quiet morning, with Lucia sleeping safely beside her, Margret began to envision the first steps of their escape—a plan that would take them far from David's reach, far from the lies, far from the danger that had invaded every corner of their lives.
She didn't know exactly how it would work yet. She didn't know if it would succeed. But she knew one thing with absolute clarity: her daughter's life—and her own—depended on it.