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“Because I’m not exposing our son to mind-numbing arcade games and a small town hammer jockey.”
“Oh, my God, Desmond. Of all the elitist, holier than thou bullshit you’ve ever spewed, that has to be the most disgusting,” I snarled at him.
“So you admit that you’re seeing him?”
“I’m not seeing him. I’m not seeing anybody. But this is exactly why I don’t want Rex with you full time. I don’t want him growing up thinking that he’s better than everyone else because he has a master’s degree.” I was practically yelling at him, but I didn’t care. “Or that someone isless thanbecause they’re not as book smart as he is. He needs balance, Desmond. I don’t want him to be raised exclusively on snob island.”
“At leastSnob Islandisn’t falling apart from the inside out.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Rex told me that your new condo looks like it’s in shambles. He’s shown me pictures of the peeling paint and the rodent holes. It’s unfit for human life, Zoe.”
“There are no rodent holes. Don’t exaggerate, Desmond. You’re making it sound like I’m making Rex live in a condemned building.”
“I guess your handy-boy isn’t very good at his job, or else he might have spruced the building up for you.”
“And we’re back to Carter again.” I grabbed my purse and my sweater and shook my head. “We’re going around in circles, Desmond, like always. You insult me, I take it, and our son is caught in the middle. So I’m not indulging this anymore. I’m going to pick up Rex from school, you’re not going to bother me at work ever again, and we’re just going to have to—”
“I’m going ahead with my pursuit of full custody, Zoe,” he announced.
“Are you fucking serious?”
“As the heart attack your pineapple pizza will inevitably give him.”
“But… but no judge is going to go for that. Custody has already been decided.” I tried to keep my voice steady. Desmond had pulled some legal fast ones on me in the past. But I had to remember that the law was on my side. He wasn’t going to be able to overturn a court decision just because my condo needed some work and I allowed my son some fun food every once in a while. “You can’t do this, Desmond. I think, deep down, you know that.”
Desmond smiled an ugly, sinister smile that I’d seen him use on people a few times before. Like before he laced into them and made them feel about two inches tall. I cringed, inwardly.
“You’re using that smile. The one you said you’d never use on me,” I reminded him.
“You’re not my wife anymore, Zoe. So I’m going to treat you like anyone else.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that I won’t hold back when it comes to outsmarting you,” he clarified. “You may be right. I might not be able to win full custody in court. But I can sure as shit drag you over the coals in pursuit of what I want. I can bring up your past, your reputation, your homemaking skills… anything I want, really.”
“Desmond—”
“I can make things difficult here at the hospital. I can drain you financially. I can probably get you into hot water with your landlord—”
“You’d really do all this?”
Desmond leaned in so close that I could smell the minty toothpaste on his breath. Any passerby would think he was saying something whispered and romantic. But what he said made my skin crawl.
“You’ll find out.”
I pickedup Rex from school and he was all smiles as he proudly showed off a red and gold ribbon pinned to his lapel. I tried to match his cheerfulness and tamp down my anxiety.
“I’m Pupil of the Week,” he announced, admiring the ribbon. “Mrs. Tupper just told me this morning after our subtraction quiz. Usually, I point out that these quizzes are superfluous, but today I didn’t. She thanked me for my attitude adjustment and told me that I could finally be Pupil of the Week.”
“That’s awesome, Rex. I’m really proud of you.”
“But, between us, I appreciate that Mrs. Tupper calls itPupilof the Week as opposed toStudentof the Week,” he stated. “It’s much more dignified. Wait… doesn’t that make me sound snotty?”
“No, Rex. You’re allowed to have a preference.”
“Okay, then.”
