Page 13 of Judge's Justice

**You can't just take Grace and disappear. We need to talk about this.**

**Call me. Now.**

My hands start shaking.

"Nora." Judge's voice cuts through the sudden roaring in my ears. He's standing now, moving around the table. "What is it?"

I can't speak. Can't do anything but stare at the screen.

**I know you're upset but running away isn't the answer. Come home. We can work this out.**

Another text comes through while I'm staring.

**Grace needs her father. You're being selfish.**

Grace needs her father. Like he was ever really a father to her. Like he didn't spend two years treating her like she was less important than his video games, his friends, his fucking best friend who—

Judge is in front of me now. Gently takes the phone from my shaking hands. Looks at the screen, and his expression goes absolutely cold.

"Who is this?"

"My ex." My voice is barely a whisper. "Grace's father."

"He knows you left."

"I told him I was taking Grace and leaving. I didn't tell him where."

"But he's trying to find out."

"Yes."

Judge hands the phone back. "Block him."

"I can't… Grace might need to talk to him, I can't just—"

"You can. And you should." His voice is firm but not harsh. "He's trying to manipulate you. Trying to make you feel guilty for protecting yourself and your daughter. That's what abusers do."

I stare at him. "I never said he was abusive."

"You didn't have to." Judge's eyes are steady on mine. "I've seen it enough times to recognize it. The way you flinch when your phone buzzes. The way you're shaking right now. The way you said you just wanted somewhere safe." He pauses. "He hurt you."

It's not a question.

I want to deny it. Want to say he never hit me, never left bruises, never did anything that would leave marks. But that's not what abuse is, is it? Abuse is also the constant criticism, the isolation, the way he made me feel stupid for wanting to go back to school. The way he controlled the money. The way he made me feel like I was crazy for being upset about anything.

The way he fucked his best friend in our bed and then blamed me for not being enough.

"Yes," I whisper. "He hurt me."

Judge's jaw clenches. "Then block him. Get a new number if you have to. But don't let him keep hurting you from a distance."

"What if he tries to take Grace?"

"Does he have custody?"

"We were never married. There's no custody agreement. Nothing legal."

"Then he has no more right to her than you do. And if he shows up, if he tries to take her—" Judge's voice drops lower. "He'll have to go through me first."