Chapter 38: Spirits Of The Heartbroken

When we got home, no one wanted to speak.

This is not how I anticipated spending my birthday.

I took a seat on the living room couch, staring forward into the abyss. I could hear voices around me, but I couldn’t focus on anything except the black television in front of me.

After staring into the darkness of my own soul for a few hours, I stood up and called for the kids to sit at the kitchen table with me. They didn’t hesitate to come and sit in their everyday seats as if we were about to have dinner as a family.

I cried to Wes and Jasper. That was the only time I was allowed to cry. I need to keep myself composed in front of the kids. I’m the big sister. I need to show that while I’m upset with the judge’s decision, I know that there’s nothing we can do to change it and they need to keep their emotions in check.