Somehow, that made everything feel even heavier.
“I’ll pay you back,” I said.
Barbara nodded.
“Yes, you will.”
I looked at her, surprised.
Then she smiled.
“Because the solution to Eric refusing responsibility cannot be another woman carrying everything forever.”
For the first time, I understood what Barbara was trying to do.
She wasn’t replacing Eric.
She was helping me stand long enough to stop depending on him voluntarily.
Back at my apartment, she opened a notebook.
“Money removed from the savings account?”
“Yes.”
“Joint bills?”
“Yes.”
“Property he took when he left?”
“Some furniture.”
“Medical expenses for Chloe?”
“Yes.”
I hesitated.
“He keeps saying most of the savings were his because he earned more.”
Barbara pushed the notebook toward me.
“Then paperwork can determine what’s his.”
So I wrote.
Every date I could remember.
Every amount.
Every bill.
Every message.
Every screenshot.
Every promise.
Every refusal.
Afterward, Barbara drove me to a family-law office.
I stopped outside.
“I can’t afford an attorney.”
“The consultation has already been handled.”
“Barbara—”
She raised a hand.
“I’m opening the door, Claire. What you do after that is your responsibility.”
And that was exactly what I did.
