She shook her head slowly.
“I don’t even know if I want to get married anymore.”
I sat down carefully, exhaustion catching up with me.
“You figure out your relationship,” I said. “But today, we’re deciding how co-parenting works. Visits. Financial support. No disappearing and reappearing when it suits you.”
Daniel went still.
Then, finally, something shifted in his face.
Reality.
He pulled out his phone, voice unsteady.
“I’ll meet with a mediator tomorrow morning,” he said. “And I’ll transfer money today for initial expenses. I don’t want Ethan growing up thinking I abandoned him.”
I studied him.
Months of silence don’t disappear in one sentence.
“Everything in writing,” I said. “And if you fail, don’t show up unannounced again.”
Claire, sitting across from us, lifted her head.
“I’m not getting married this Saturday,” she said quietly. “Not like this. Daniel, you need to fix your life. And I need to figure out who you really are.”
Then she looked at me.
“I’m not taking this out on you. You don’t owe me anything.”
Something in my chest loosened.
“Thank you,” I said softly. “I don’t want enemies. I just want this handled like adults.”