p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="6db96ce3c5bbb7025087c09126bb319f"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"Chapter Sixteen/span/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="19fe7759a7ae8e28805ec13dac956acb"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"" /em/spanem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Yes, sometimes the odds are really stacked against you, but no that doesn't mean you'll fail./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="0ff51b1e658c44699811f44bb3df7745"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"You've already proven you can beat the odds./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="3e1163af1e832c24a634e607de8f6ef5"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"So, do it. /emspan style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""/em/span/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="f050422288347c818bf72d2498106624"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"-/em/spanem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Doe Zantamata/em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="dc53785d25a3e11fb45aa5dbc946e293"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"Ezra/span/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="ce4e9bf6d84ef46da499260599d50d9b""I want a em style="box-sizing: border-box;"divorce/em, Alison."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="8d09ef49026463cf0999ca16fa139761"I watched her face contort, very slowly, very scarily. She was enraged, she wouldn't let this go. At least not without a fight./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="184826be0ea6837abb5851807f7a9e2b""What?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="60ffefa82340230f6ba8bc145ac0e8f7""You can have the house, the furniture, anything!" I tried to lighten the mood./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="8bcd1bfc1b768df8b47773a4bbaf753c""How. Dare. You!" She snarled. "How dare you threaten me. After everything we've been through! After everything I've done for you! For us! For our family! This is how I'm repaid?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="c654a9928b40d2cfcddcc05ff632d07b"I swallowed hard, watching Marley look up in confusion, then joy as she saw me, then fear as her eyes grew wide at our expressions and Alison's obvious rage. I didn't want her to take anything out on Marley./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="b92adf94bead653fb6e48e915aebbf80""Alison-"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="e592b3f1a772d23421f145da5252f4e5""No! Stop! Get out of my house! Now! As far as I'm concerned, you're done here. You're done with Marley, you're done with me, you're done with this family! I hope you're happy, Ezra, because you ruined everything we worked for because you wanted a younger whore who stole you from me!"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="1fe6f42ed936553f0f2b42bd1cd1e0a0""Mommy, no!" Marley cried, standing up and running over to me, grabbing onto my leg. "Don't go! Don't go, Daddy, don't leave me!" It broke my heart. I willed the tears to stay back and I forced the lump in my throat to disappear as I cleared my throat. I kneeled down and wiped her tears, as any good Daddy would./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="75c6778363cde1538954d3835d9374a0""Daddy will be back, Mar. I'm coming back for you. Don't worry. I won't let Mommy hurt you." She looked into my eyes with her watery, blue ones. The same as mine. It hurt even more to know that they weren't even my eyes. "Remember what I told you, Marley. Just put your hand on your heart and think of me. I'll be back, Bug, I'll be back."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="bd26e1cfb8dcc6347dc217afa5be3afd""Don't get her hopes up with lies, Ezra, you'll never see her again. You know that." She yanked Marley away from me and slammed the door in my face as I stood silently on the front porch. The manilla folder that held the legal bind to Alison, was with her, and that's all that was important right now, besides Marley being subjected to her madness. I knew she would read it, too, she'd try to get her father to find some loophole and shimmy her way out of this divorce, but it wasn't happening. Not this time. She wasn't escaping. I didn't care if I forced her to sign those papers. Veronica Hastings already agreed/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="34c7924e175e155e4aa696b4f6c57b76"I turned away, closing my ears off to the sound of my daughter sobbing and screaming, I got in my car and drove 20 over the speed limit to get home to Aria./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="9c0f0b59a4cb6d6c59f6002bf3892a28"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"Alison/span/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="0953fa9b8c5ba521dc106a222c8ac95a""I hate you!" Marley screamed. A sentence that I had never heard come out of her mouth. She had only said 'hate' one other time, when she was telling me how much she hated green beans. I never made her eat them again./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="4c19699dbde43f1f4aac8b4d3031e981""Marley, no, baby!" I cried as I raced up the stairs to follow her into my old bedroom. It had been remodeled and redecorated into a room just for Marley. The things my father did for her. She sobbed into her elbow on her bed./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="4cf3199e9fcad9eb89367a5f4a6d9159""Why did you say those things, Mommy? Why would you make Daddy leave?" She sobbed, her eyes looked at me with the accusation of betrayal and I didn't like it at all./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="196f50538b9f9df39dfbb7efbf93c011""I'm sorry, baby! I'm so, so sorry! But I-I couldn't let him hurt us again! Not again, baby, not again!" I murmured, pulling her into my arms as I sat on the bed. She fought me, but ultimately gave up./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="32ae5896f3d3a01a991455bcf4825e9a""What? He never hurt us, Mommy!" She wailed, her tears soaking my shirt./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="378b5a9d098545b7636a349315fa6694""Yes, Mar, yes he did! I just didn't want to tell you. I didn't want to upset you, Bug." I raced my brain, thinking of the first wild lie that came into my head that I knew she would believe. "Remember when Daddy was gone for a really long time and when he came back, you asked him if Miss Aria was taking him away? Well, he lied when he told you know, baby. He loves Miss Aria more than you and I. He's with her right now."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="ea91a676f71348f32c57a1749be8c306""No! You're lying to me! Daddy would never lie to me! Never, never, ever!" I could hear in her tone that she would give up easily, she would give in and believe every word I muttered to her./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="28d49856e48028722fcc648e6272e811""I'm not lying, love. He loves her more than you." And there it was./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="1972f23afd1558053bee4f38cd0f2db6""Noooo!" She sobbed, clinging onto my arms for her life. Her heart was broken, for a split-second I allowed the guilt inside. How could I have done this to my sweet Marley? Because I had to. It was as simple as that. I was going to win. If it was the last thing I did. I didn't care what it took, or what happened...I would win./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="d1907b02e29dfe72747fae0447ea26bb""I know, Mar, I know! I'm sorry, baby. I love you, though. I love you so, so, so much! And that's why I had to send Daddy away." She cried for another half hour before she calmed down and fell asleep in my arms. I laid her in the bed and covered her gently with the sheets and her blanket. It was getting dark anyways and my father would be home soon./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="eec298dca75f897b847b6cc9480a4dc6"There was only one thing left that I had to do./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="96e7d36fe89079a8e63e32170458f4c2"I walked downstairs with a new feeling of determination. I found my black Coach purse on the kitchen counter and dug through it until my fingers came across my Blackberry./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="bca79c564ba536f01860831324d12ac0"It rang three times before his voice filled my ear./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="61927b57341ab56dff8545531b737c66""Hey, girl. Where're you? Where's my daughter?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="26c4841199141a26e4d12b083500d0d4""Shut up and listen. You need to get down here as quickly as you can. There's been a little problem, and I know you remember the deal we made before Marley was born. I need your help."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="73bb60cdc78c777d9b1187ec0f780f0f""Well it must be your lucky day, cause I'm right outside Pittsburgh, I'll be there in an hour."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="406f21c3f85fc94df32dae97e00c4a99""Good." I smiled./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="21ffa25e55602c26baa3e0a12b41a16b"It was a good day to sin./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="a1a013e22a71caf894cbe74b0472bc35"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"Aria/span/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="7382eaae3e95e292ccdb88c191b1b926"I was sitting on Ezra's old couch in the apartment, looking around. I had organized and reorganized his bookshelf, his music, his clothes, my clothes. Everything was OCDishly neat and clean. I had been driving myself crazy since the previous night. With Jason. With the new information I had discovered and the accidental kiss./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="88c7c9643605d9b53972f62e701348ad"I kept repeating every word, every detail he had told me over and over in my head. I was fidgeting with my purse which I had on my lap because I had just finished organizing that too. The doorknob turned and I jumped as Ezra forced the door open. I jumped up and ran over to him, seeing just a glance of his face. I wrapped my arms around him and he held me in his arms, too./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="365aee3314bd8fae04f6b3b4cc826292""Ezra, what happened?" I asked, I could feel the sadness radiating from him. Something bad had happened, I could feel it. He didn't answer immediately, instead he led me over to the couch and pulled me down next to him. I didn't snuggle into him though, I had to look at his face, watch him as he spoke to me./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="5b52d142e2cb4cff037612f73281f90c""Um, well, Alison wasn't too happy about the divorce...and even more upset about me wanting custody over Marley, so she told me I'd never see her again. I can just hear the lies she's telling my Bug right now. Aria, she's gonna hate me! She's gonna be a different little girl when-if- I ever see her again." I hugged him tightly, he wasn't crying, though. He wouldn't. He wanted to be strong./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="09cf026128eb1f24e408e1681bb0191b""I'm so sorry, Ezra," was all I could mutter. I didn't have experience with marriage or children, except for our brief encounter with Malcolm, so how could I possibly help?/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="146610f2ef7d38a6f0fc3520c95de74a""I don't know what to do, babe," Ezra mumbled in my ear. My heart warmed as he called me 'babe.' Every time he touched me, looked at me, called me a special name, it always made me smile to know that it wasn't a dream. A precious, dream that I was afraid to wake up from. It was real and he still loved me./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="898950607e870d315d6a8a0d2815faad""I know what to do, But you just have to trust me. Okay?" I murmured. I held his face in my two hands. He had beads of sweat dripping off of his brow from his encounter. I knew exactly what to do, I had a plan. It was going to work, too, I could feel it. The only kink, was telling Ezra the awful truth that I decided I couldn't keep bottled up any longer./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="19fe7759a7ae8e28805ec13dac956acb"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"" /em/spanem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Yes, sometimes the odds are really stacked against you, but no that doesn't mean you'll fail./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="0ff51b1e658c44699811f44bb3df7745"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"You've already proven you can beat the odds./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="3e1163af1e832c24a634e607de8f6ef5"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"So, do it. /emspan style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""/em/span/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="f050422288347c818bf72d2498106624"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"-/em/spanem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Doe Zantamata/em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="dc53785d25a3e11fb45aa5dbc946e293"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"Ezra/span/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="ce4e9bf6d84ef46da499260599d50d9b""I want a em style="box-sizing: border-box;"divorce/em, Alison."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="8d09ef49026463cf0999ca16fa139761"I watched her face contort, very slowly, very scarily. She was enraged, she wouldn't let this go. At least not without a fight./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="184826be0ea6837abb5851807f7a9e2b""What?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="60ffefa82340230f6ba8bc145ac0e8f7""You can have the house, the furniture, anything!" I tried to lighten the mood./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="8bcd1bfc1b768df8b47773a4bbaf753c""How. Dare. You!" She snarled. "How dare you threaten me. After everything we've been through! After everything I've done for you! For us! For our family! This is how I'm repaid?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="c654a9928b40d2cfcddcc05ff632d07b"I swallowed hard, watching Marley look up in confusion, then joy as she saw me, then fear as her eyes grew wide at our expressions and Alison's obvious rage. I didn't want her to take anything out on Marley./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="b92adf94bead653fb6e48e915aebbf80""Alison-"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="e592b3f1a772d23421f145da5252f4e5""No! Stop! Get out of my house! Now! As far as I'm concerned, you're done here. You're done with Marley, you're done with me, you're done with this family! I hope you're happy, Ezra, because you ruined everything we worked for because you wanted a younger whore who stole you from me!"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="1fe6f42ed936553f0f2b42bd1cd1e0a0""Mommy, no!" Marley cried, standing up and running over to me, grabbing onto my leg. "Don't go! Don't go, Daddy, don't leave me!" It broke my heart. I willed the tears to stay back and I forced the lump in my throat to disappear as I cleared my throat. I kneeled down and wiped her tears, as any good Daddy would./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="75c6778363cde1538954d3835d9374a0""Daddy will be back, Mar. I'm coming back for you. Don't worry. I won't let Mommy hurt you." She looked into my eyes with her watery, blue ones. The same as mine. It hurt even more to know that they weren't even my eyes. "Remember what I told you, Marley. Just put your hand on your heart and think of me. I'll be back, Bug, I'll be back."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="bd26e1cfb8dcc6347dc217afa5be3afd""Don't get her hopes up with lies, Ezra, you'll never see her again. You know that." She yanked Marley away from me and slammed the door in my face as I stood silently on the front porch. The manilla folder that held the legal bind to Alison, was with her, and that's all that was important right now, besides Marley being subjected to her madness. I knew she would read it, too, she'd try to get her father to find some loophole and shimmy her way out of this divorce, but it wasn't happening. Not this time. She wasn't escaping. I didn't care if I forced her to sign those papers. Veronica Hastings already agreed/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="34c7924e175e155e4aa696b4f6c57b76"I turned away, closing my ears off to the sound of my daughter sobbing and screaming, I got in my car and drove 20 over the speed limit to get home to Aria./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="9c0f0b59a4cb6d6c59f6002bf3892a28"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"Alison/span/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="0953fa9b8c5ba521dc106a222c8ac95a""I hate you!" Marley screamed. A sentence that I had never heard come out of her mouth. She had only said 'hate' one other time, when she was telling me how much she hated green beans. I never made her eat them again./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="4c19699dbde43f1f4aac8b4d3031e981""Marley, no, baby!" I cried as I raced up the stairs to follow her into my old bedroom. It had been remodeled and redecorated into a room just for Marley. The things my father did for her. She sobbed into her elbow on her bed./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="4cf3199e9fcad9eb89367a5f4a6d9159""Why did you say those things, Mommy? Why would you make Daddy leave?" She sobbed, her eyes looked at me with the accusation of betrayal and I didn't like it at all./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="196f50538b9f9df39dfbb7efbf93c011""I'm sorry, baby! I'm so, so sorry! But I-I couldn't let him hurt us again! Not again, baby, not again!" I murmured, pulling her into my arms as I sat on the bed. She fought me, but ultimately gave up./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="32ae5896f3d3a01a991455bcf4825e9a""What? He never hurt us, Mommy!" She wailed, her tears soaking my shirt./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="378b5a9d098545b7636a349315fa6694""Yes, Mar, yes he did! I just didn't want to tell you. I didn't want to upset you, Bug." I raced my brain, thinking of the first wild lie that came into my head that I knew she would believe. "Remember when Daddy was gone for a really long time and when he came back, you asked him if Miss Aria was taking him away? Well, he lied when he told you know, baby. He loves Miss Aria more than you and I. He's with her right now."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="ea91a676f71348f32c57a1749be8c306""No! You're lying to me! Daddy would never lie to me! Never, never, ever!" I could hear in her tone that she would give up easily, she would give in and believe every word I muttered to her./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="28d49856e48028722fcc648e6272e811""I'm not lying, love. He loves her more than you." And there it was./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="1972f23afd1558053bee4f38cd0f2db6""Noooo!" She sobbed, clinging onto my arms for her life. Her heart was broken, for a split-second I allowed the guilt inside. How could I have done this to my sweet Marley? Because I had to. It was as simple as that. I was going to win. If it was the last thing I did. I didn't care what it took, or what happened...I would win./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="d1907b02e29dfe72747fae0447ea26bb""I know, Mar, I know! I'm sorry, baby. I love you, though. I love you so, so, so much! And that's why I had to send Daddy away." She cried for another half hour before she calmed down and fell asleep in my arms. I laid her in the bed and covered her gently with the sheets and her blanket. It was getting dark anyways and my father would be home soon./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="eec298dca75f897b847b6cc9480a4dc6"There was only one thing left that I had to do./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="96e7d36fe89079a8e63e32170458f4c2"I walked downstairs with a new feeling of determination. I found my black Coach purse on the kitchen counter and dug through it until my fingers came across my Blackberry./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="bca79c564ba536f01860831324d12ac0"It rang three times before his voice filled my ear./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="61927b57341ab56dff8545531b737c66""Hey, girl. Where're you? Where's my daughter?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="26c4841199141a26e4d12b083500d0d4""Shut up and listen. You need to get down here as quickly as you can. There's been a little problem, and I know you remember the deal we made before Marley was born. I need your help."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="73bb60cdc78c777d9b1187ec0f780f0f""Well it must be your lucky day, cause I'm right outside Pittsburgh, I'll be there in an hour."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="406f21c3f85fc94df32dae97e00c4a99""Good." I smiled./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="21ffa25e55602c26baa3e0a12b41a16b"It was a good day to sin./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="a1a013e22a71caf894cbe74b0472bc35"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"Aria/span/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="7382eaae3e95e292ccdb88c191b1b926"I was sitting on Ezra's old couch in the apartment, looking around. I had organized and reorganized his bookshelf, his music, his clothes, my clothes. Everything was OCDishly neat and clean. I had been driving myself crazy since the previous night. With Jason. With the new information I had discovered and the accidental kiss./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="88c7c9643605d9b53972f62e701348ad"I kept repeating every word, every detail he had told me over and over in my head. I was fidgeting with my purse which I had on my lap because I had just finished organizing that too. The doorknob turned and I jumped as Ezra forced the door open. I jumped up and ran over to him, seeing just a glance of his face. I wrapped my arms around him and he held me in his arms, too./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="365aee3314bd8fae04f6b3b4cc826292""Ezra, what happened?" I asked, I could feel the sadness radiating from him. Something bad had happened, I could feel it. He didn't answer immediately, instead he led me over to the couch and pulled me down next to him. I didn't snuggle into him though, I had to look at his face, watch him as he spoke to me./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="5b52d142e2cb4cff037612f73281f90c""Um, well, Alison wasn't too happy about the divorce...and even more upset about me wanting custody over Marley, so she told me I'd never see her again. I can just hear the lies she's telling my Bug right now. Aria, she's gonna hate me! She's gonna be a different little girl when-if- I ever see her again." I hugged him tightly, he wasn't crying, though. He wouldn't. He wanted to be strong./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="09cf026128eb1f24e408e1681bb0191b""I'm so sorry, Ezra," was all I could mutter. I didn't have experience with marriage or children, except for our brief encounter with Malcolm, so how could I possibly help?/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="146610f2ef7d38a6f0fc3520c95de74a""I don't know what to do, babe," Ezra mumbled in my ear. My heart warmed as he called me 'babe.' Every time he touched me, looked at me, called me a special name, it always made me smile to know that it wasn't a dream. A precious, dream that I was afraid to wake up from. It was real and he still loved me./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="898950607e870d315d6a8a0d2815faad""I know what to do, But you just have to trust me. Okay?" I murmured. I held his face in my two hands. He had beads of sweat dripping off of his brow from his encounter. I knew exactly what to do, I had a plan. It was going to work, too, I could feel it. The only kink, was telling Ezra the awful truth that I decided I couldn't keep bottled up any longer./p