Chapter 18
Megan’s first reaction when Ryan told her about Margaret was rage.
Pure, white-hot rage.
They were in the family services center office, the social worker sitting beside them, as Ryan told them everything—Margaret getting out, her showing up at the school, her threats to take Lila, to ruin them all.
"I knew it," Megan said, standing up, pacing the room. "I knew she would come back. That woman is pure evil. She never changes. Never."
She turned to Ryan, her eyes blazing.
"You said you cut her off. You said you had no contact. You promised she would never be a part of our lives. And now she’s here, threatening my daughter. Threatening us. How could you let this happen?"
Ryan hung his head.
"I’m sorry," he said, his voice breaking. "I had no idea she was getting out. I changed my number. I moved. I thought she was still locked up. I should have checked. I should have been more careful. This is my fault. All of it. If you want to stop the visits, I understand. I’ll do whatever you want. Whatever keeps Lila safe."
Megan stared at him.
She wanted to yell. To scream. To tell him he was out of Lila’s life forever.
But she saw the fear in his eyes. The regret. The same fear she felt every time she thought about Margaret. The fear that that woman would hurt her baby.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
This wasn’t Ryan’s fault.
Not really.
Margaret was the villain here.
Always had been.
"No," she said, sitting back down. "No, we’re not stopping the visits. That’s what Margaret wants. She wants to tear us apart. She wants to make us fight. We’re not going to let her. We’re going to be a team. All of us. Me, you, Ethan. We’re going to protect Lila. Together."
She turned to the social worker.
"We need to file a restraining order. Against Margaret Miller. No contact with any of us. No coming within 500 feet of Lila’s school, our houses, our workplaces. And we need to increase security at the school. At the house. Everywhere."
The social worker nodded.
"I’ll get the paperwork started today. The judge will sign it immediately, given her record."
Megan turned back to Ryan.
"You have to press charges too. For trespassing. For threatening you. For violating her parole. She needs to go back to pri:son. For good."
Ryan nodded.
"I will. Whatever it takes. I’ll testify. I’ll do anything. I just want her gone."
They left the center together, united for the first time in years.
Megan called Ethan on the way home, telling him everything. He was furious, but he agreed with her plan. He called the general, who called his contacts in the state police. Within 24 hours, Margaret was picked up at a motel on the edge of town, charged with violating her parole, harassment, and trespassing.
The judge denied her bail.
She was going back to pri:son to serve the remaining four years of her sentence, plus an additional five for the new charges.
She would be 82 when she got out.
If she lived that long.
It was over.
Finally, really over.
After Margaret was locked up, the tension between Megan and Ryan melted away.
They weren’t friends. Not exactly. But they were co-parents. Allies. They texted about Lila’s doctor’s appointments, her soccer games, her school projects. They attended her preschool graduation together, sitting side by side, cheering as she walked across the stage in her tiny cap and gown. Ryan came to Lila’s birthday parties. He spent Christmas Eve with them, opening presents, eating the general’s famous ham. He was part of the family. In his own way.
Lila was the happiest little girl in the world.
She had two dads who loved her more than anything.
A mom who would move mountains for her.
A grandpa who spoiled her rotten.
A whole army of people who would protect her, no matter what.
She didn’t know about the pain. The ble:eding. The pri:son. The lies.
May you like
All she knew was love.
And that was all that mattered.
