We were sat outside the house. I was holding my younger brother, while Sam sat close to the door while our parents screamed at each other from inside. Liam flinched against me when we heard glass shatter, followed by Mom yelling curse words at Dad. We just stared at the peeling fence, frozen, until Dad stormed past us, a bag of clothes in his hands.
The grass in our yard was slightly overgrown and clearly marked where he walked. He took one last bitter glance back at us when he threw his bag into the trunk. Slamming it closed, he was finally leaving the family that he hated so much.
"Just stay gone, you cheating son of a Bitch!" Mom screamed, throwing another vase at him. "Don't you ever come back!" I looked between her and Dad's retreating figure, my heart pounding, but before I could process anything, Liam broke into sobs beside me.
"Oh," Mom whispered, her voice breaking as she dropped to her knees, cupping Liam's tear-streaked face. 'Mommy's so sorry… Everything's going to be alright.' Her hands trembled as she wiped his cheeks. She glanced toward Dad's car, its brake lights disappearing down the street, her face a mixture of anger and helplessness. 'Come on,' she urged softly, pulling us toward the door. 'Time for bed.'"
After a few months since Dad walked out, Liam, Sam, and I sat together outside the courtroom, each of us doing our own thing. Mom and Dad were currently arguing over custody. Liam was sitting in front of us on the floor, flipping through another page of his medical book. He was way smarter than most kids his age and really into medicine and tech. He was taking the divorce the hardest.
Sam sighed as more people passed by with cursory glances. I didn't mind the curiosity; the ones that stung were the obvious pity. Sam was incredibly reserved and hated anyone knowing what went on behind the doors.
I sat there, watching the courtroom door, absentmindedly fiddling with a necklace I had made from a strange shard with markings on it. I had found it a while ago, and though I didn't know what it meant, it felt familiar. I moved my attention to my laptop. Sam watched over my shoulder as I tried to edit my book.
"Do you think Dad's going to come home," Liam asked. I stopped typing for a moment and glanced at Sam. Before we could reply, the courtroom door opened, and Mom walked out. "Is Dad coming?"
"Liam, Honey," I tensed. Whatever Mom was going to say, it wasn't going to be good. "Your Dad and I are getting divorce. He's not coming home." I saw that coming. I wish I could have seen what else was coming a few years later.