“Let her try. Mr. Brennan says she has no case. You were married eight years, no kids, no joint assets except credit-card debt. She gets half of nothing.”
“She’s going to make this hell.”
“Probably.”
I sat down next to him.
“But you’re not alone this time.”
He looked at me, really looked at me, and his eyes filled.
“I’m so sorry, Mom.”
“I know.”
“I don’t know how to make this right.”
“You can’t. Not all the way. But you can start by being honest. With me. With yourself. No more choosing the easy lie over the hard truth.”
He nodded.
“What happens now?”
“Now you find a job. You pay your own bills. You learn to stand on your own. And you prove to me that you meant what you said, that this is the last time.”
“How long do I have?”
“Six months. If you’re still here in January, still clean, still showing up, we’ll talk about what comes next.”
