DAPHNE’s POV

They say fear steals your breath but mine wasn’t stolen it sat heavy in my lungs, tearing me apart while I smiled for Christian and pressing until I could barely breathe.

The custody papers lay on the coffee table like a loaded gun. I’d read them once, twice, ten times, and each word still sliced the same: Charles Black petitions for full custody of the minor child, Christian black.

The letters on the page blurred every time I read them, so I stopped trying.

I just sat ...