To Mrs.V, she said,What’s happening there?
They took him away a couple of minutes ago.He was screaming the whole time that he hadn’t done anything, it was his house, and he had a right to be there.He wanted to know what they’d done with his wife and kids.
Isla’s reaction to hearing that was immediate and visceral.Thank God they hadn’t been there when he returned.She’d hoped that being arrested, held overnight and hit with a restraining order would’ve kept him away from anywhere she and the kids might be, but clearly, it’d had no effect.
Chilled to her bones by that understanding, she could barely breathe or think or do anything other than be afraid for their lives.What if he found them?What would he do now that he felt cornered?What would happen when he was served with divorce papers that contained her request for full custody of their kids?
The questions—and the fear—had her calling Julian, who’d made her feel safe and reassured with his calm competence.
Her call went to his voicemail, so she left a message.“Um, this is Isla.Santana.I’m so sorry to bother you.I know how busy you are.It’s just that my neighbor said Gabriel was screaming for his wife and kids when they took him away, and I just, well… Call me if you have a minute.Thank you.”
Trying to stay busy so she wouldn’t think about Gabriel being arrested again, she texted Mrs.V.So it looks like I can do three nights next weekend at work.How do you feel about spending the weekend together?Haha.Kids would be asleep before I leave.
She wrote back a few minutes later.I’d love to.How’s it going in the rental?
I love it here.
I’m so glad!I lived in LC as a young woman.It’s a wonderful neighborhood.Can’t wait to see you and the kids.
We can’t wait either.
The return of their old groove with each other made Isla realize how much she’d missed Mrs.V over the past couple of months.That was just another temporary loss she could chalk up to Gabriel and his rages.She thought of the lovely group of girlfriends she’d had once upon a time, each of whom had fallen off her radar as she’d focused on her kids and keeping them safe.
She composed a text to their group.Hi, girls, it’s me, your MIA friend who has no right to pop in out of the blue like this but is hoping you might still love her as she sticks her head out of the fog of dealing with a soon-to-be EX-husband.I’ve missed you all, and I’m sorry for going dark.It’s been a rough couple of years.Anyway… If you haven’t forgotten about me, I’d love to see you, talk to you, catch up and hear what’s new with you.I’m sorry for being a shit friend.I love you guys.
Isla read and reread the text that would go to the women who’d been her four closest friends once upon a time, before she married Gabriel and lost the rest of her life.Now that she was out of the center of the storm, she could look back with a bit of perspective and see how it’d happened swiftly after they were married.Suddenly, she was expected to spend all her time with him, to the exclusion of everyone else.He’d gone no-contact with his family and expected her to do the same with her people so they could build a future of their own without anyone else’s influence.
Except… There was no way she would cut off Denny, and her insistence on keeping him close had infuriated Gabriel.He’d despised Denny from the start, probably because her brother had seen through Gabriel’s bullshit, his big talk about always being on the verge of a career breakthrough and his lofty ambitions that’d never panned out.
Because he’d refused any sort of medical intervention to address his erratic behavior, she’d done her own research.All signs pointed to manic depression or addiction—possibly both, which was a potent combination—but she’d also learned that as long as he was unwilling to address it, she was powerless to make him.He had rights, and as such, the impetus to get help had to come from him.With his behavior increasingly more violent, she’d looked into psychiatric holds and other such options but had refrained from pulling those triggers out of fear of what would happen when he was released.
Her friend Lana replied to the group text.Isla… I’m SOOOO glad to hear from you.We’ve been so worried.I’m relieved to hear you refer to him as your ex-husband, and I’m sorry things have been rough.We’d love to see you any time.We’ve missed you, too, and we’ve been so afraid for you.
Isla read the text with tears in her eyes.I just moved out yesterday, so things are in flux, but I wanted you guys to know… I’ll be in touch.I promise.
We’ve missed you, too,Jodi said.So happy to hear from you.
Isla put a heart on the comment and used her sleeve to wipe her eyes.
She went through the motions of making Theo’s lunch and wrapping up a PB&J for Mila to have when she woke up.Theo ate his sandwich and carrot sticks with his usual cheerful disposition while continuing to play with his trucks.Thank goodness for him, she thought for the millionth time.He was the sweetest, easiest little guy, endlessly curious and funny.Isla was sad for what Gabriel was missing out on with their children and sad for herself that she needed to be afraid of the man she’d once loved with her whole heart and soul.
ChapterTwelve
Julian’s mediation had dragged on for most of the morning, with the husband questioning every item on the extensive list of assets and debts that were being divided evenly by the divorcing couple.
Julian’s client, Victoria Hansen, had begun to wilt from the emotional and physical drain of dissecting the life she’d once treasured with a man who’d cheated on her with his younger assistant.She’d told Julian she felt like the ultimate cliché, the wife who never thought for a second her husband would betray her and the family they’d built together.
The entire proceeding had devastated her, and now that it was so close to being finished, Julian slipped her a note that said,Be strong.We’re almost there.
She gave him a smile and a small nod as she sat up straighter.“Actually, I don’t agree with that change,” she said of an amendment that would’ve given her ex-husband their place in Lake Tahoe in exchange for her getting the house in Pasadena, where they’d raised their family.“I don’t want the Pasadena house.I want Tahoe.”
Her husband, Larry, was a distinguished-looking guy with salt-and-pepper hair and a goatee that Victoria had told Julian was the first sign that something had gone awry between her and the man who’d once disdained facial hair on other men.Apparently, the girlfriend liked him with a goatee.
Clearly, he hadn’t expected her to toss the Tahoe bomb into the proceedings.
“You know how much I love Tahoe,” he said.
“And you know how much I once loved you,” she replied with a casual shrug that filled Julian with pride for her.When they first met, she’d been so devastated to learn her husband had been unfaithful that she hadn’t been sure she wanted to continue living.Now, more than a year later, the shock had worn off, and thanks to a lot of therapy, she’d learned how to advocate for herself.
