Just a small tilt of his head.
But the moment I saw it, something inside my chest tightened.
I dropped my eyes to the tabletop, staring at the faint scratches in the wood where other people had likely carved their anxieties over the years.
I had promised myself I wouldn’t cry today.
Not here.
Not in front of Daniel.
Because if there was one thing I had learned during our marriage, it was that Daniel had a special kind of patience when it came to waiting for people to break.
Langford continued speaking, flipping through pages of documents.
“Ms. Harper has no savings account of significance, no retirement investments, and no vehicle registered in her name,” he said calmly. “Meanwhile my client maintains stable full-time employment, a mortgage on a three-bedroom home, and an income sufficient to ensure that the child—Emily Carter—has every opportunity for success.”
He spoke Emily’s name like it belonged on a legal document instead of belonging to the small, quiet girl sitting in the second row behind me.
