Chapter 12 - Daddy, Are You Going to Leave Me Too?Emmett didn't answer immediately.
Not because he didn't know what to say.
Because his daughter's question had struck directly at the part of him that still carried Phoebe's death.
He knelt in the grass.
Margot stood before him, holding a small plastic watering can.
"Why would you think I'm going to leave?" he asked gently.
She looked down.
"Because Mommy went away."
His expression softened.
"And Claire went away."
He nodded.
"Yes."
"And sometimes grown-ups get married, but then they get sad."
I sat on the garden bench nearby.
Margot continued.
"Claire said Daddy needs grown-up love. What if you find somebody else and I make them sad too?"
Emmett pulled her close.
"Sweetheart, you are never responsible for keeping adults happy."
"But—"
"No, listen to me."
He kissed her forehead.
"Your mommy died because something terrible happened. She didn't choose to leave you."
Margot's eyes filled.
"I know."
"And Claire doesn't live with us because of decisions she and I made. Not because of anything you did."
She sniffled.
"Promise?"
"I promise."
"Forever?"
He held her face gently.
"I will always be your daddy. Even when you're grown up. Even when you have your own house. Even when you decide I'm embarrassing."
That made her smile faintly.
"You're already embarrassing."
Emmett laughed through his tears.
"Well, then I suppose we're ahead of schedule."
He hugged her for a long time.
I watched them beneath the evening sunlight and wondered how many adults had forgotten what children actually needed.
Not perfect homes.
Not expensive birthday parties.
Not impressive wedding photographs.
They needed reliable love.
The kind that remained present even when life became inconvenient.
Over the following months, Emmett worked hard to give Margot that consistency.
Dr. Mitchell helped him establish age-appropriate ways to discuss grief and family changes.
She encouraged him to answer Margot's questions honestly without overwhelming her with adult details.
She also helped Margot understand that feelings weren't something she had to hide to protect her father.
At first, Margot seemed reluctant to say when she was upset.
Then one evening, while they were washing dishes, she announced that she was angry.
Emmett turned off the faucet.
"About what?"
"About Claire."
"Okay."
"She made me think you didn't love me enough."
Emmett dried his hands.
"I'm sorry that happened."
Margot looked at him.
"Can I still be angry even though she's gone?"
"Of course."
She considered that.
"Good."
Then she handed him a dripping plate.
It was a tiny moment.
But Emmett told me later that it felt like progress.
Margot was beginning to understand that she could express difficult emotions without losing anyone's affection.
Meanwhile, the legal dispute continued.
The annulment proceedings required time, documentation, and difficult conversations.
Claire disputed Emmett's account of their relationship.
Her attorney questioned whether one wedding-day incident could establish the legal grounds alleged in the petition.
Emmett's attorney advised him to remain patient and focus on verifiable facts rather than assumptions about Claire's character.
Olivia and Rebecca agreed to provide statements about what they'd personally witnessed.
The recording was preserved.
So were the relevant messages.
I also prepared a written account of what I'd heard outside the bridal suite.
It wasn't pleasant.
Revisiting that afternoon meant remembering Margot's little face again and again.
But I understood why accuracy mattered.
One evening, while reviewing his documents, Emmett found an old email from Claire.
It had been sent approximately eight months before their wedding.
The subject line read:
Our Future Family.
At first, the message was affectionate.
Claire described wanting a peaceful home, a happy marriage, and perhaps another child someday.
Then came a paragraph Emmett had apparently overlooked.
I know Margot will always be part of your life, but I need you to understand that our marriage must become the central relationship in your world. I don't want us organizing every decision around Phoebe's memory or Margot's feelings.
He read it to me over the phone.
"What do you think?"
"I think you need to discuss it with your attorney."
"I remember getting this."
"Did you respond?"
"Yes."
He found his reply.
Margot is my child. Of course we'll need time together as a couple, but she'll never be treated like an outsider. I want us to build a family, not divide one.
Emmett went quiet.
"I told her."
"Yes, you did."
"I made it clear."
"Yes."
"And she married me anyway."
I understood what he was beginning to consider.
Perhaps Claire had expected marriage itself to change his priorities.
Perhaps she'd believed that once the ceremony was complete, she could establish a different place for herself in the household.
Or perhaps she'd simply never understood what loving a widowed parent truly required.
Whatever the explanation, the email clarified that Emmett hadn't promised her a child-free emotional life.
He had been explicit.
Margot would remain central to his responsibilities.
That weekend, we celebrated what would have been Eleanor's seventy-first birthday.
I made her favorite lemon cake.
Emmett brought flowers.
Margot wore a yellow cardigan.
We placed an extra photograph on the table and shared stories about the woman who had held our family together for decades.
At the end of dinner, Margot raised her glass of apple juice.
"Can I make a toast?"
Emmett and I exchanged surprised smiles.
"Of course," I said.
She stood on her chair.
"To Grandma Ellie."
She lifted the glass carefully.
"Thank you for teaching Grandpa how to make cookies."
Emmett burst out laughing.
I raised my glass.
"She would have appreciated that."
Margot continued.
"And thank you for making Daddy's mommy and my mommy happy."
She paused.
Then added, "And thank you for making enough love for everybody."
My eyes filled.
I looked at Emmett.
He was crying too.
For a moment, I thought about the toast I'd delivered at his wedding.
That speech had exposed cruelty.
This one celebrated love.
I knew which I hoped Margot would remember when she grew older.
Unfortunately, the Whitmore family had not finished trying to control the story.
Two days later, Emmett received formal correspondence from Claire's attorney.
Among the documents was a financial demand significantly larger than anything previously discussed.
And attached to it was an assertion that Claire had made substantial sacrifices for the marriage, including turning down professional opportunities and contributing to anticipated household expenses.
Emmett studied the paperwork.
Then he looked at me.
"Dad, I think this is about to get uglier."
May you like
He was right.
But not in the way either of us expected.
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