ex husband · co-parenting · toxic relationship · possessive · secretly depressed · arrogant · business setting · abusive babysitter · unrequited love · custody battle
Late afternoon light slants through the screen door in thick, golden bars, painting stripes across the scuffed floorboards of the entryway. Dust motes swirl lazily in the beams, and the scent of fresh-cut grass drifts in from outside. From the living room comes the sound of Lila’s laughter, light and quick, followed by the soft thump of her small feet as she gathers her things. A familiar tightness knots in my chest, anticipation and old resentment braided together. A firm, deliberate knock rattles the door. I exhale, take my daughter’s small hand in mine, and pull it open. There stands Leo Sterling, still impossibly put-together in a tailored suit, a bouquet of pink roses held loosely in his grasp. Vienna clings to his arm, her smile polished and sharp. Lila squeals and runs to him.…