“How much time do you spend with Hannah?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
"I see her once or twice a week," she replies, inhaling a breath. "And she's been spending every other weekend with me."
"And how does that schedule compare to two months ago... or years before that?"
"It sounds like you already know the answer to that," she says, exhaling sharply. "What exactly am I here for, Dad? Let's cut to the chase."
"Alright," I say, leaning back slightly, “Let’s do that.”
She tips her chin up defiantly, as if challenging my words before I even speak them.
“I forbid you to disrupt Hannah's life just to get back at Cal.”
“Forbid me?!” she exclaims, her tone incredulous. “I’m not a kid, Dad. You can’t tell me what I can and can’t do.”
"What have you been doing since you lost your job?"
The question hits her like a slap. Her eyes flare with anger, and for a moment, she's speechless.
"What does that have to do with anything?" she asks, trying to regain control.
“Listen to me, Meghan,” I begin, my voice low. “You live a lavish, expensive, worry-free life, thanks to me. We both know the job you had since graduating wasn’t a career—it was a pastime. You didn’t take it seriously. The only thing you cared about was the control it gave you.”
That hits a nerve. Her eyes dart around, unsure of where to settle. She knows exactly what I'm getting at—she’s thinking about the role she played in Dani Hartman never getting adopted. I can see it in her eyes, she knows I know.
“I suggest you think very carefully about your choices,” I continue, not allowing her to interrupt. “I will cut you off, do you hear me? You won’t see it coming. One day, you’ll go to pay for something you don’t need, and your credit card will get declined. If you choose to defy my wishes, you’d better start looking for a job.”
“You wouldn’t dare do that to me, Daddy!” she says, her voice rising as she loses grip on her fraying emotions.
I lock eyes with her. “I don’t bluff, sweetheart. And you know it.”
"You're going to choose what Cal and that woman want over me?"
“You lied to me, Meghan,” I say, my voice calm and controlled. “But I don’t hold it against you, because I made the conscious decision to believe the lie.”
“How did I lie?” she asks, a single tear rolling down her cheek before she swipes it away with the back of her hand. “When did I lie?”
“You told me you had made a mistake giving Cal full custody because he was going out of his way to keep Hannah from you, and that I couldn’t see her because he wouldn’t allow it.”
The silence that follows is deafening. I can almost see the wheels turning in her mind, trying to find a way out of this.
“If you do this to me,” she begins, thinking she can manipulate me, “I will never speak to you again.”
“Then I guess that’ll be my penance for not being a good father,” I reply calmly. “And worse yet, a horrible grandfather to that little girl who deserves so much more.”
“Is this the part where you say this hurts you more than it hurts me?” she asks, her gaze dropping to the floor.
“This isn’t easy,” I say, my voice softer now. “I just want you to remember that I’m your father. Until the day I’m gone, everything you have is still mine.”
"Fine," she whispers, as if accepting defeat. "You win."
"This isn't about winning or losing, sweetheart," I say gently. "This is about doing what's best for Hannah. And to make sure we both keep that in mind, I want your assurance that you’ll stick to the current schedule and continue spending time with her. And I need to see her, too."
"Okay," she says, sighing. "I'll have her this weekend. We'll stop by for a visit."
"Good," I reply, unable to hide a smile.
"Is that it?" she asks, beginning to stand.
