Page 28 of Echoes of Obsession
“Do you not want to visit your dad anymore?”I ask.
“No. I want to stay here with you.”
“Alright, honey. I’m going to see what I can do. In the meantime, I need you not to fight me about this. Go with your dad today, and first thing in the morning, I’m going to make some calls about getting his rights revoked. Okay?”
“Maybe Ghost can help like he did with the school?”
“I don’t think he can help with this,”I explain.“This is something that has to be done using lawyers.”
“Fine. I’ll go this time. But I don’t want to go back.”
“Why, honey? Is there a reason you don’t want to go over there?”
Her silence has my heart racing. Are they hurting her?
“He doesn’t even talk to me when I’m over there,”she says sadly.“And Connie talks super slow and uses small words like I’m ignorant.”
“It sounds like Connie’s communication skills are stuck in the Stone Age. Maybe we can get her to learn sign language if sheever evolves. Until then, I’ll make sure you don’t have to deal with her Neanderthal talk any more than you absolutely have to.”
She giggles softly, making my heart smile.
“Zoe, let’s go. Connie’s waiting in the car. We have shit to do.”
Grabbing her bag, Zoe hugs me tightly before following her dad out of the room.
“Get the fuck out of my way, you mangy mutt.”
“Hey, don’t kick my dog,” I yell out when Sky yelps.
“I can’t believe you have a dog for your stupid seizures. It’s not like he can stop them. Massive waste of money if you ask me. I’ll bring the kid back tomorrow,” he responds, completely ignoring me. “Got shit to do Sunday, and she can’t come.”
“I love you,” I sign when Zoe looks back.
She mouths that she loves me too, and then she’s gone.
“Something isn’t right,” I tell Sky.
Everything in me is screaming to run out there and grab Zoe away from her father, but I just can’t. I can’t risk her father getting full custody of her.
I spend the rest of the evening cleaning up the apartment in constant worry. When someone bangs on my door, I’m exhausted and aggravated. I don’t want to deal with people right now.
“Hey, babe,” Ghost greets when I open the door.
“Oh goodness,” I sigh. “I got distracted and completely forgot.”
“Everything okay, Snow?”
“Just dealing with Zoe’s father,” I admit. “Come on in. It won’t take me long to get ready.”
“What’s going on with her father?” he asks, closing the door behind him.
“Apart from him being a jerk, I honestly don’t know,” I admit. “He acts like he doesn’t want anything to do with Zoe, but hethrows a fit whenever I bring up her not going to his house. Zoe doesn’t want to go over there anymore, and I just don’t know what to do.”
Tears of frustration roll down my face, and the next thing I know, I’m smashed up against Ghost’s hard chest.
“We’ll figure everything out, baby,” he says, hugging me tightly. “Do you have full custody of her?”
“Yeah,” I say. “But I have to let Ray have her every other weekend and alternating holidays.”