Survival Mode

Custody Battle

|Adam's POV|

Getting to the police station, I wanted to file a report against Lisa's brother as well as her grandmother. I asked the police if a report for a missing child had been filed and they told me no. I gave them all the information and let them in on the custody issues that have occurred.

They documented everything and after almost an hour, I was on my way. I sent everything to my lawyer and now it was up to him to straighten this out. Either way, there was no way in hell Beth and I were leaving and going back to North Carolina without Rhea.

Once we checked into the hotel, I laid Rhea on the bed, watching her sleep. Beth came and rubbed my back.

"Adam, you need to get some rest."

I shook my head.

"I'm not tired."

"You need to rest just as much as she does, even if it's for a few hours."

"How can I rest knowing I'm one of the reasons she's so miserable? I left her with Lisa knowing just how evil she could be."

"You had your reasons."

"None of it justifies what Rhea has been through. I can't go back and change anything as much as I wish I could. Do you know how many times she's called me crying to come get her? Or how much my heart broke every time I lost in court? The look on Rhea's face, I'll never forget. Every single time I fought and loss, her face dropped and all that did was give Lisa more fuel to treat her like shit. I have failed her in so many ways, Beth. I can't forgive myself for that."

I heard her sigh and sit next to me. She grabbed my hand.

"Adam, you're here now. You've never stopped fighting for her."

"You know, she told me she hated me tonight. I've driven her to the point where she hates me. When she's with us I try to overcompensate because I know our time together is limited. Still, I know when she comes to live with us, I can't do that anymore. I have to set the tone for our relationship going forward and if I don't..."

"I know that it is going to take some adjusting, but trust me, everything is going to work itself out. I don't care how long we have to stay here, Rhea is not going to feel alone again. We are fighting harder than ever before to get her back to North Carolina with us. With everything that's been happening, the evidence, a new judge, I feel like this will work in our favor," she stated.

I looked at her. The way she loved my daughter, I couldn't ask for more.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"For what?"

"Thank you for loving me. Thank you for loving Rhea."

"No need to thank me for that. She's a part of you, but most importantly she's truly a beautiful soul. I believe in my heart she'll be able to let her guard down once she's away from here. I'm not one to advocate for a mother being separated from her child, but in this case, it would be the best solution. She's so unhappy. She's lashing out and running away. I know she will need some discipline down the line, but right now, the first step is to get her out of Pittsburgh."

"You're right."

"Now, can you please get some rest?"

"Alright."

I closed my eyes and Beth swatted my arm.

"What?"

"Adam, the bed, not the chair."

I stood up and went and got in the bed. I was awoken hours later by my phone ringing. I saw it was my lawyer. I got up and stepped outside of the room to not disturb Rhea or Beth.