She Framed Me As Unfit So I’ll See Her In Court Chapter 15
In the end, my mother couldn’t hold out any longer and fell asleep on the couch.
I softened my steps and draped a blanket over her shoulders. Even in sleep, her brow remained tightly furrowed, as if she were still carrying all those curses for me. The hand hanging over the edge of the sofa was rough and cracked, the knuckles slightly misshapen from years of labor.
I gently lifted that hand and tucked it back beneath the blanket.
My phone lit up just then.
It was an email from my legal aid attorney.
Caleb’s lawyer was proposing pretrial mediation. If I withdrew the restraining order petition, they were willing to “generously” increase child support.
I stared at those two words, and the warmth in my chest turned to ice.
They had leaked my address, sent a strange man to my door, left my mother shaking with fear, and now they wanted to buy the consequences away with a few checks—while reminding me, politely, that a poor single mother ought to know her place.
My cheek suddenly felt cold.
I lifted a hand and wiped away a tear I hadn’t realized had fallen.
That wasn’t weakness.
And it certainly wasn’t wavering.
I sat down in front of the computer and opened a new email. My fingers trembled faintly with rage, but the words I typed were steady.
“Mediation refused. Restraining order petition will not be withdrawn. All further communication must be in writing.”
After I hit send, I turned and looked at my mother.
At last, she was sleeping a little more deeply.
This time, all you have to do is eat well and sleep well.
I’ll handle the rest.