In court, he held my gaze for only two seconds before looking away, as if I were something shameful he had already tossed in the trash.
Harper sat next to my lawyer and me on the first day of the hearing, her feet not quite touching the floor and her hands folded so neatly it broke my heart. I didn't want her to be there, but Caleb insisted. He said it would “help the judge see reality.”
Reality, apparently, was my daughter watching her parents destroy each other.
Caleb’s lawyer spoke first. “Mr. Dawson has been the primary caregiver,” she said smoothly. “He manages the child’s education. He provides stability. Meanwhile, Mrs. Dawson has unpredictable mood swings and has exposed the child to inappropriate conflict.”
