It took about a week to get a time to meet but my lawyer, Veronica Ortiz, is meeting me at her office this afternoon. Donna is going to watch Ava and I’m signing the paperwork to get my divorce started.
Cal has been by a few times letting me know that the state is prosecuting Warren for criminal charges. Since the last incident involved Warren wanting to force me to have sex, the state is charging him with rape and sexual offense. If he’s convicted, he won’t be able to get custody of Ava.
Ava is an entirely different matter. Warren hasn’t tried to claim custody, he hasn’t come to see her, or attempted to contact me. I’m hoping to file abandonment charges against him for her. My lawyer says that since he’s made no attempts to claim his rights, I have a pretty good chance of getting full custody with no visitation. As much as I would love for Ava to have a dad, I want her dad to be one who wants and loves her.
It only took me about twenty minutes to get to Roni’s office. Emily’s House is downtown as well as the building that houses Veronica’s firm. I pulled my coat tighter around me as I stood there looking up at the dark glass structure. Winter was just beginning and it smelled as if snow was right around the corner.
I rode the elevator up to the seventeenth floor, staring through the glass the entire way. The sky was a dull gray, all the colorful leaves gone, leaving the trees bare. People were bustling about on the sidewalks, making them look like little ants from my view. When the doors opened, I stepped out into a luxurious office. Plush leather couches lined the waiting area. A large wooden desk sat off to the side with a young woman typing away on a computer behind it.
“Roni will be right out.” She glanced up at me, not even stopping what she was working on.
“Thanks.” I pulled my gloves off and stuffed them into my pockets.
“Brooke! Hi!” Veronica, Roni, smiled as she burst through the door. Her dark hair was pulled back in a low pony, and she was dressed in a navy pinstriped suit. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” she called over her shoulder as she led me to an office near the end of the hallway.
“It’s ok. I haven’t been waiting long.” I smiled as she stepped out of the way and let me pass. Once inside, I removed my coat and hat, and lowered myself onto the red leather chair in front of her desk.
“I’ve drawn up the paperwork to get things started here. A lot will depend on the criminal case. If your husband is found guilty, then it’s going to be a slam dunk for us. I honestly don’t know why he wouldn’t, but you never can tell with some of these juries.” She opened a manila folder stacked with papers in front of me. Tiny black print filled the pages. Some of it I understood, but there was a bunch of legal jargon too.
“Sign here,” she pointed to the bottom of the second page, “here, here, and initial here, here, and here.” She tagged each spot with a small red arrow sticker.
“That’s it?” I sat back, slightly surprised that it wasn’t harder than that.
“For you, yes. I’m sure I’ll be going back and forth with his lawyer, but I’ve included everything you asked.” She smiled as she straightened the papers.
“Even the custody agreement?” I was skeptical.
“Yes, although I can’t promise anything on that one. The fact that he contested your application for assistance says he’s going to contest this. I’m working on the child support application for you too.”
“Thanks.” I sighed. I was just ready for all of this to be over. Why would a man who so obviously hates me want to drag this out?
“I know this is hard. I’ve seen some men who just sign and get it over with, and I’ve seen some drag it out for years. I’m hoping that the criminal charges stick. You aren’t seeing anyone, right?” Roni tapped her pen against her desk.
“No.” I shook my head. “I’ve been too busy healing and taking care of my daughter. Besides, I don’t think I could trust a man after what Warren did.”
“If you do start seeing someone, I wouldn’t broadcast it to your ex. He can make things a lot harder if he wants to. Jealous men don’t think with their heads too well.” She rolled her eyes before jotting down something on a card. “This is the case number for the criminal charges. You can check the progress by calling the station and asking for the detective in charge. Give them this case number and tell them you want updates.”
“Thanks. I don’t know how to thank you for this. I’d never be able to afford someone like you.” I clutched the card in my hand.
“Donna’s a good friend. She’s helped a lot of people over the years, including my sister. She wasn’t so lucky.” Roni smiled sadly. “Emily was everything to me, that’s why I’ve always helped women like her. My only payment is that you promise not to ever go back to him.”
“I won’t. Promise.” As I stood up to put my coat back on, I saw several framed photos of Roni with another woman who looked just like her. Donna was in one of the photos. This was the Emily the house was named after. This was the Emily who started it all.
“Good.” Roni jerked her head quickly. “I’ve got to get these to a courier so they can be served in the next few days. Don’t go anywhere alone. Once he gets these, he may break the order of protection.”
“I won’t,” I reiterated as I left her office. I walked
