A/N: Thank you so much for the lovely reviews. They definitely brighten up my day and inspire me to keep writing.

Chapter Five

Stephanie POV

I woke early after a night of tossing and turning on the couch. I wasn't a morning person in the best of circumstances, but this morning was among the worst I had ever felt.

I stumbled into the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee into a thermos, thanking myself mentally that I had long ago developed the habit to prep it each night and set the timer. I had a shower while drinking my coffee, determined not to let my foul mood infect my sweet daughter. I dressed for efficiency in jeans and a tee shirt, then made my way back into the kitchen to pour my first cup of coffee. I savoured it slowly, then went to wake up Zoë.

I opened her door and kissed her head, stroking her arm. "Zo-zo, wake up sweetheart. Wake up," I said softly. She takes after me in her dislike of mornings and waking her up every day is a trial. I dread to think of getting her to wake up when she's a teenager.

"Mama?" Zoë said sleepily.

"Good morning, Zo-zo. Time to get up." She grumbled, but threw off her blanket, though she still didn't make a move to get off her bed. I hid a smile. I woke in stages too when I was a kid. I ran my hand up and down her back. With a huge sigh, she sat up and rubbed her eyes with her fists.

"What do you want to wear today, Zoë?" I asked. I mostly let her dress herself since she was very particular about her outfits, and it just wasn't worth the argument to get her to wear clothes that matched. If they were clean and weather-appropriate, it was fine with me. I secretly stored her off-season clothes so she couldn't pick anything that wouldn't fit the weather.

"My purple rainbow pants and green Care Bear top," she decided.

I pulled out the clothes she wanted, along with socks and underwear, then put it on her bed next to her. "Get dressed and then come to the kitchen, okay?"

I went back to the kitchen and prepared some oatmeal for Zoë. One thing she did not inherit from me was her food preferences. She had a taste for healthy food and eschewed junk food, while I regarded vegetables only as a necessary evil. I'd much rather eat Cocoa Puffs for breakfast over oatmeal, but she would gag if I tried to feed Cocoa Puffs to her. Richard wasn't a particularly healthy eater either, so I had no idea where she got it from.

She came into the kitchen, dragging her teddy bear behind her. "Mama, I'm still sleepy," she groaned as she sat in a kitchen chair.

"I know, Zo-zo, but you have preschool. I'm going to take you myself and I'm going to pick you up too. And guess what? Today, Auntie Gigi is going to pick us up and take us to her house."

She brightened. "I get to see Auntie Gigi? What about Uncle Tank? And do I get to meet their kitties?" Zoë loved Tank and followed him around him every time we saw him, which really wasn't often but she always remembered him. He was memorable though, and despite his massive size, a total sweetheart to my daughter. He loved cats and their household included three of them.

"Yes, Uncle Tank and the kitties too," I said with a smile. I slid the bowl of oatmeal in front of her and put down a spoon and a glass of milk. "Eat your breakfast, Zo-zo."

I made some toast for myself and ate it while drinking my second cup of coffee. I had things I knew I had to do today, but one of them was to tell Richard I was leaving New York for a couple of weeks with Zoë. I didn't want to talk to him at all, but taking his daughter out of the state for two weeks without telling him would probably be a very bad idea, legally speaking. He's a world-class asshole and I am definitely divorcing him, but I know he loves our daughter.

When Zoë finished her breakfast, I washed the dishes while she coloured in her book a bit more. When I was done, I took her to the bathroom and then helped her brush her teeth. She pulled on her rainboots – part of her stylish ensemble for the day – and helped her with her coat and mittens. I took her to preschool, which was only a couple of blocks away, and then I took the subway to my job to talk to Sheila, my boss.

"Hey Sheila, how are you this morning?" I greeted as I stepped through the door into our office's reception area. I had texted her last night to tell her I was going to be a bit late so I could take Zoë to preschool.

"Good, Steph, everything okay with you?" she asked, eyeing my wardrobe for the day. I didn't have an official dress code, but I never wore jeans and a tee shirt.

"Not really. I need to talk to you," I replied.

"Uh oh. What's up?" she asked, sitting in one of the visitor chairs in the waiting room.

I got up to sit in the other chair next to her and took a deep breath, willing myself to get it all out without crying. I hate people seeing me cry. "Yesterday I came home and found Richard having sex with the nanny in our bed," I said. "I kicked them out and now I guess I'm getting divorced. I need to take a couple of weeks away and get my head straight and things sorted out. I was hoping I could take my vacation time now to do that."

Sheila leaned forward and gave me a hug. "I'm so sorry, honey. Of course, you can have the time off; we're not too busy and I can handle things for now. Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go stay with my sister for a couple of weeks in Trenton. She and her husband have a big house there."

"Make sure you tell Richard you're leaving the state with Zoë."

I sighed. "I know, I plan on calling him when I leave here."

We talked for a couple more minutes, then she waved me out the door. "Don't worry, Steph. Let me know if I can do anything, and if you're not ready after two weeks, we can talk about it, okay?"

I thanked her and got back on the subway to go home. I texted Richard and asked him to call me back as soon as he could. When I walked in the door, I sank into a chair in the living room. I really needed a nap, or a good night's sleep, but it would have to wait.

I stood up and went into Zoë's room to pick out her favourite clothes to pack for our time away. I decided on five complete outfits so she could still pick amongst them to wear each day, and of course Jeanne Ellen and Tank have a washer and dryer. I laid them on her bed, then went into my own bedroom. I felt the bile rising in my throat as I looked at the bed and a flashback of yesterday's events flew across my mind, culminating in that smug son of a bitch's expression when I walked in and caught them.

I steeled my spine and went directly to the closet to pull out two suitcases. I laid the bigger one out on my bed and started grabbing clothes from my dresser and the closet. I packed four pairs of jeans and one skirt, and four tee shirts, and one blouse. I tossed in an extra pair of sneakers and one pair of heels, then bras and panties. I took the smaller suitcase and went back to Zoë's room, put her clothes inside the case and added her favourite teddy bear and a pair of sneakers. I added a couple more favourite toys and her crayons and a couple of colouring books. I zipped the case closed and set it down by the front door. On my way back to my bedroom, my phone rang and it was the special ringtone assigned to Richard.

"Hello, Richard," I answered.

"Steph, what do you want? I'm busy here," Richard answered impatiently. Any residual love I may have harboured for him died at that moment.

"I wanted to let you know I'm going to my sister's house for a couple of weeks with Zoë. The money for my part of the bills coming due in the next couple of weeks is in our joint account. When I get back, we need to meet to discuss our next steps."

"You may go to your sister's for a vacation, but when you get back, you will be moving back into the apartment with me. We're married, Steph, and just because I sometimes need to get my needs met by someone else is no reason to get a divorce. If you were more willing in bed, I wouldn't need to look elsewhere," he declared.

I thought my head was going to explode in anger, but I counted to five in my head before I spoke. "I'll talk to you in a couple of weeks, okay?" I needed to keep calm and not set off a war just yet. I needed to strategize with Gigi, set out a game plan, hire a lawyer.

"Fine, Steph. I'm moving back into the apartment after work tonight. I'll talk to you in a couple of weeks when you get back."

"Okay," I said. "Goodbye."

He disconnected and I fought the urge to throw my phone against the wall. I took several deep breaths and vowed to myself to take him down.

I went into the bathroom and packed up our toiletries for our trip, then added the bag to my suitcase. I found my laptop and iPad and put them in my messenger bag. I found the chargers for both, plus my phone charger and added those to the bag too. I almost always forget something when I'm going on any trip, so I started walking around my house to see if anything needed to come with me. The dishes were all clean and dry, so I put the few breakfast dishes back in the cabinets. I cleaned the coffee pot and put it upside down on the counter on the dish drainer. I debated with myself on throwing out some of the fresh food. If no one was going to be in the house, I would, but I knew Richard was coming back. And while I really wanted to do it anyway, I wanted him to be complacent so when I sicced my as-yet-unhired shark of a lawyer on him, it would take him by surprise.

I wondered about my pillow briefly, but decided it was already tainted and I'd need to replace it when I got a new bed. I had to figure out how to get some money. I'd need to pay the lawyer, for one, and buy a new bed. And I guess depending on what happened with Richard, I might need to move to somewhere cheaper too. Fuck! Why did he have to be such a bastard?

I decided to take my jewelry with me. I didn't have much, but what I did have was either precious or sentimental. I didn't want to leave anything behind while I wasn't here and Richard was, just in case he decided to get vindictive. With that thought fresh in my mind, I took a last lap and added a couple of small things to my suitcase that I wouldn't want to lose. I lugged my suitcase to the front door and walked to Zoë's preschool to pick her up. I told her teacher she'd be out for the next couple of weeks, and promised an email with her return date once I figured it out.

We walked home and I made Zoë some lunch. She chattered happily about her morning at preschool and told me about the things they were learning. Jeanne Ellen called and told me she'd be there in about twenty minutes. We finished our lunch, and I quickly rinsed our dishes and added them to the dishwasher. I brushed my teeth, helped Zoë brush hers, and added our toothbrushes and toothpaste to my bag in a Ziploc bag.

I led Zoë outside, rolling my bag in front of me. Zoë insisted on rolling her own case, so by the time we got outside, Jeanne Ellen was waiting at the curb. "Auntie Gigi!" Zoë shouted excitedly.

Jeanne Ellen smiled widely and held her arms outstretched. Zoë launched herself at her aunt and Jeanne Ellen hugged her tightly for several moments. When Zoë started to squirm, Jeanne Ellen released her and beamed at the little girl. "Squirt, you're getting so big, I barely recognized you!"

Zoë said proudly, "I'm four now!"

Jeanne Ellen laughed and kissed the top of Zoë's head. "I know, honey, I was there at your birthday party. Are you all ready to come to my house for a vacation?"

Zoë beamed and said, "yep. And Mama told me I can play with your kitty cats. I just gotta be gentle."

"That's right, Squirt. They love it when someone pets them gently. Let's get you in the car and we can get going, alright?" she said.

Jeanne Ellen looked great. It had been about a year since I saw her last in person, but her hair was still long, blond, and pin straight. She is the complete opposite to me in looks, with that hair, her tanned complexion and shorter stature at five-feet-two inches. But her figure was still enviable, and her inner beauty shone through on her gorgeous face.

She had obviously planned for the car ride, given there was a car seat strapped in to the back seat. Zoë climbed up and sat down, waiting for her Auntie Gigi to buckle her in. Jeanne Ellen did so, then closed the door and turned to me. I walked into her arms and hugged her close. We hardly ever got to see each other these days and though we were only half-sisters, in our hearts we were soul sisters. She soothed my hair and said into my ear, "when we get home, we'll get good and drunk and make plans, alright?"

I let out a quick sobbing laugh and agreed, "sounds good, Gigi." She helped me load our suitcases into the back of her car, which was different than the one she had the last time I saw her. It was still some kind of fancy Audi though.

I closed the trunk and hopped into the passenger seat, buckling myself in. We were on the highway in no time, and no one had really spoken to anyone else since we got into the car. Zoë was making up stories in her head to amuse herself and telling them to herself aloud, and it dawned on me again how brilliant and creative she was as I listened to her. I suppose all parents feel that way about their kids though.

Jeanne Ellen reached across the console and took my hand, squeezing my fingers in a show of support. "Everything went alright with your boss?" she asked.

"Yeah, Sheila was great about giving me the time off and she didn't even mind I was asking to go without any notice at all. She said if I need longer to just call her and we'd work it out," I replied.

"That's good. I imagine you've made some lists of things you need to get done?" she teased.

"Laugh it up, lady, but yes."

She giggled, then we lapsed back into a comfortable silence. I didn't want to say too much in front of Zoë anyway, and my sister would know not to either. We'd have plenty of time to talk about everything later and I could catch her up on Richard's latest declarations.

An hour and a half later, she pulled up to her house. I'd never seen it in person before, but she had done a video walkthrough for me when she first moved in. Once again, I regretted the lack of in-person time together we'd logged since I got married. Time just seemed to fly by so fast.