MY ELDEST DAUGHTER STAYED WITH HER FATHER
The biting winds of Newcastle howled outside, cutting through to the bone. I sat at the kitchen table, clutching a cold cup of tea, my hands trembling. Tears? No, that wasn’t my way. But inside, everything was breaking. I’d tried calling my girls—Emily and Sophie—but their phones remained silent, as if deliberately shutting me out.
I rang my mother-in-law, desperate for answers.
“What’s going on? Why won’t they let me speak to Emily and Sophie? Give them their phones!”
“Olivia, I’ve no part in this,” she said, voice trembling with hurt. “I’ve been made to feel like an outsider in my own home. Ask your ex-husband, for I wash my hands of it.”
“He’s not my ex!” I snapped.
“Then he’s no son of mine!” she retorted before hanging up.
I flung my phone onto the table and rushed to the hospital where my mother lay. Her condition was stable, but I could barely keep myself together as I spooned soup for her. Later, I drove to the girls’ school, my stomach churning. This wasn’t just estrangement—it was abduction. My former husband, Paul, had taken them without waiting for the courts, as if erasing me from their lives.
I waited on a bench outside the school gates when my phone buzzed.
“Olivia! Everything alright? I couldn’t reach you.” It was Anthony, the persistent taxi driver who’d been trying to court me.
“Sorry, yesterday didn’t work out. Mum’s in hospital, and… other troubles,” I replied, forcing politeness though romance was the last thing on my mind.
“Where are you? I’ll come by!” he offered cheerfully.
“No time. Just waiting half an hour for the girls.”
“Plenty for tea then!”
Within minutes, his battered car pulled up beside the school. I hadn’t given him the address—he already knew. He stepped out, holding a basket of apples. Just what I didn’t need.
“From my orchard, full of vitamins for the girls,” he grinned.
“Thanks, they’ll love them,” I muttered. “Didn’t know you had an orchard.”
“Grow them to sell, don’t need so many myself. Fancy a visit? Lovely in spring.”
“Well, well, look who’s here!” came a mocking voice behind me.
Paul. My cheeks burned. Beside him, Anthony and his apples seemed absurd.
“Taste troubles, Olivia?” Paul sneered. “Traded me for this one? What is he, a fruit peddler?”
“Excuse me, who are you? Mind your words,” Anthony shot back.
“Oh, he talks too?” Paul laughed. “Apples? Presents? You couldn’t win her with diamonds!”
“Enough!” I snapped. “Apologise and leave. I’ll fetch the girls myself.”
“Olivia, if you need help, call,” Anthony murmured.
“Thanks, I’ll manage. We’ll talk.”
As we argued, Emily and Sophie burst from the school gates. I hugged them, the weight in my chest easing. I’d been so afraid something had happened.
“Mum, are we going home?” Sophie, the younger, asked.
“To Gran’s,” I answered, keeping my voice steady. “Your father and I are sorting things. We’ll stay there a while.”
“Darling, it’s cramped there,” Paul cut in. “No toys, nothing fun.”
“But I’ll be with them,” I countered. “Just a short stay. We’ll be home soon.”
The girls looked at me, waiting for certainty, but words failed me. My throat tightened.
“Cat got your tongue?” Paul smirked. “Tell them how you chose divorce, and they’ll never play in their rooms again.”
“Mum, I don’t want to,” Emily suddenly said, turning toward her father.
“Clever girl, made the right choice,” Paul said, leading her to his car.
I stood there with Sophie, tears escaping despite myself. I knew I shouldn’t show weakness, but my heart shattered. Emily—my Emily—had chosen him. Betrayed me.
“Mum, let’s go, it’s freezing,” Sophie whispered, pulling me back.
“Yes, sweetheart, we’ll go,” I murmured, wiping my face.
The lump in my throat choked me. My eldest had turned away, and the pain was like a knife twisted deep. Even now, I haven’t recovered.
