“She’s here, isn’t she?”
Vanessa sighed as if I were a slow student.
“Look, honey. Hazel has been the center of Patrick’s world for nine years. She’s a sweet kid, but she’s been too much. He needs space to build something new with me. She’ll adjust.”
I felt dizzy.
“You did this on purpose!”
“I offered her a role. She’s part of the day. Nobody can say I excluded her.”
“She’s been too much.”
“You baited her!” My voice came out steadier than I felt. “You knew she’d tell everyone. You knew she’d count down the days. You set her up to be humiliated in public, so she’d learn her place!”
Vanessa’s smile thinned.
“You’re overreacting. This is why Patrick left, you know.”
That statement was meant to hurt, and it did. But not the way she wanted.
“You baited her!”
“Patrick and I ended things kindly,” I said quietly. “We stayed decent to each other because of Hazel. You clearly witnessed that decency and saw a threat.”
