Page 23 of Married to the Devil

“I know, but… at school, the teachers were asking… other kids have dads and I wanted one too.”

“Sweetie.” I sit on the bed, doing my best not to shake. “Your dad isn’t in our life. That’s normal. He’s somewhere else, far away.”

“Can you tell me where? So I can tell my teachers?”

“Honey—“

“Please, Mommy? Please?”

“I really don’t know, baby. You can tell them about me⁠—“

“But we’re talking about dads! It’s not fair!”

“Hattie.” I stare in surprise, tears welling, lump in my throat. This is the first time she’s ever gotten upset about not having a father in her life. “Honey, you know it’s only me and you⁠—“

“But everyone else has a Dad and I don’t!”

It takes a few minutes to calm her down. She’s normally so collected, but I eventually figure out that they’re doing a lesson on families and she felt left out when they were talking about Dads.

“Fuck men,” Marnie says later when we’re sitting out back together. “For real. Hat’s better off.”

“I don’t know. She was pretty upset.”

“You told me once that her dad isn’t a good guy and you don’t want him around, right? Did that change?”

I picture Rafe sitting in my kitchen looking like a god straight from hell. “No, it didn’t.”

“She’ll get over it. She’s just a little kid.”

I shrink in my seat, pulling my knees to my chest. “I talked to him last week.”

Marnie’s tooth clinks on her glass. She curses and squints at me. “Seriously?”

“For the first time in six years.”

“How? I mean, why? I thought⁠—“

“He reached out.” I decide not to give her specifics. About the way he appeared in my kitchen. That bizarre conversation we had. It feels like a dream now. “I’m afraid he wants to be in Hattie’s life.”

“Fuck that.” Marnie slams her glass down on the table. Wine spills over the brim as she gestures at me. “That fucker got you pregnant and bailed. He doesn’t get to show up years later after Hat’s finally potty trained and civilized⁠—“

“I wouldn’t say civilized,” I mutter, thinking about the way she peed in the shower yesterday.

“You know what I’m saying. He’s not shit and he can fuck himself.”

“I agree. But I mean…” I can’t bring myself to look at her. “I never told him. About Hattie. Back when it happened.”

She sits back, arms crossed. “Doesn’t matter.”

“I mean, doesn’t it? He probably didn’t even know she existed. I looked into him⁠—“

“You don’t owe him anything, June.”

“I know, I know, but I’m just saying. I couldn’t find anything about him back then, like he was a ghost. But that penthouse… I mean, the watch…”

“He’s probably some scammer scumbag. Maybe a crypto bro or whatever. Don’t waste time on him, June. He ghosted. He’s dead to you.”

“But wouldn’t it be good for Hattie to have him in her life?”