Eliana shook her head quickly.
“Then you need to prepare yourself to be strong. He may be loud. He may be manipulative. He’ll likely do everything in his power to get his way, but you can’t forget thatyouare the only person who can make decisions for yourself. You don’t even have to tell him what you’re doing if you don’twant to. He hasn’t involved you in his decisions, so why should you involve him? There’s no law mandating that you report your actions to your husband, so do what you need to do for yourself.Yourhealth.Your future.Yourdecisions.”
She nodded and sniffled, holding his eyes despite the way hers burned at the realization of just how much she’d let herself fade away. The bright-eyed eighteen-year-old Eliana would’ve kicked thirty-two-year-old Eliana’s ass.
Richard passed her a tissue and then quieted his voice, speaking gently, “You said you have no assets either. Your name is not on anything? Not even a vehicle loan or a credit card?”
“I don’t think so.” Eliana sighed. “He always handled the money. He was adamant about it. I never cared much. I thought he was just trying to take one of the household tasks off my shoulders. But now I see how stupid it was to stay out of it entirely.”
“Not stupid. Just ignorant.”
Eliana scoffed. “That doesn’t sound better.”
Richard shrugged. “You’re not paying me to lie to you. You want the truth, and sometimes the truth sounds awful. There’s a reason people lie so much—lies are delicious, the perfect lullaby to soothe a difficult situation. But regardless of how terrible the truth may be, there’s a certain strength to it . . . a harmony that sets you free.” He sat back, his eyes shrewd. “Things will definitely get worse before they get better. And with your plans to gather evidence . . . you need to prepare for the inevitability that any evidence you uncover will hurt.”
“I know,” she said, glancing away. “But, like you said, it’ll also be freeing. And freedom is all that I want. Everything else is secondary,” she said vehemently. “My priorities are simple.” She lifted a hand to begin tallying her fingers, “Toset myself up in a way that I can support my daughters without ever depending on a man again, to separate myself legally as quickly as I’m able, and . . .” She dropped her hand, meeting his gaze head-on. “To make it fuckinghurt.”
“Alright then,” Richard set forward, a predatory gleam to his stare. “Then here’s what I need you to look for . . .”
6
BIRDHOUSES
Going after his money is not about independence, it’s about security. Don’t cut off her nose to spite her face.
So proud of her for meeting a lawyer.
She needs to tell the neighbor’s husband already. Mitch has a right to know.
Emma sounds clueless. How is she going to support children on minimum wage?
Don’t make her a martyr for the sake of pride.
Can’t wait to see what she uncovers!
Eliana stared out the window, watching the branches of the oak tree in their backyard sway in the wind as she thought about the comments her last chapter had stirred up. Though many of the readers loved her female lead, many othersthought her goals were unrealistic. It echoed a lot of what the lawyer had told her two days ago.
“Getting a job is the first step in supporting yourself. But it will be a lot more challenging than simply receiving a paycheck. Life is expensive, Eliana.”
“I know,”she’d argued. “Things have been tight before. I know how to be frugal.”
“Actually, I don’t think you do understand. If you go it alone, you’ll need to be able to prove stability. A safe home. Utilities. Insurance. A reliable vehicle. You won’t be able to achieve this and provide proper care for two pre-teens on minimum wage. The judge will see this. You’ll either need to find a hell of a job, or we’ll need to discuss alimony.”
“No”,Eliana had answered, defiant.
“Explain why you’re so against it.”
“I just . . . I can’t depend on him to take care of us. It was a mistake to do it before, and I learn from my mistakes. And I have a suspicion, one I can’t prove just yet, that I think we may not be doing so well financially. He doesn’t tell me much, but I’ve noticed some . . . signs. I want . . . No, Ineedto depend on myself.”
“Alright, let’s table the topic of alimony. But about your assets . . .”
“I told you, I don’t have any.”
“Did you sign a prenup?”
“No.”
“Then you’re entitled to a share, if not an equal division, of the marital assets.”
