Forget Me Not

Chapter 16

"Yes, sometimes the odds are really stacked against you, but no that doesn't mean you'll fail.

You've already proven you can beat the odds.

So, do it."

-Doe Zantamata

Ezra

"I want a divorce, Alison."

I watched her face contort, very slowly, very scarily. She was enraged, she wouldn't let this go. At least not without a fight.

"How. Dare. You." She snarled. "How dare you threaten me. After everything we've been through! After everything I've done for you! For us! For our family!"

I swallowed hard, watching Marley look up in confusion, then joy as she saw me, then fear as her eyes grew wide at our expressions and Alison's obvious rage.

"Alison-"

"No! Stop! Get out of my house! Now! As far as I'm concerned, you're done here. You're done with Marley, you're done with me, you're done with this family! I hope you're happy, Ezra, because you ruined us! You did!"

"Mommy, no!" Marley cried, standing up and running over to me, grabbing onto my leg. "Don't go! Don't go, Daddy, don't leave me!" It broke my heart. I willed the tears to stay back and I forced the lump in my throat to disappear as I cleared my throat.

"Daddy will be back, Mar. I'm coming back for you. Don't worry." I kneeled down to her level and she looked into my eyes with her watery, blue ones. "Remember what I told you, Marley. Just put your hand on your heart and think of me. I'll be back, baby, I'll be back."

"Don't get her hopes up with lies, Ezra, you'll never see her again." She slammed the door in my face as I stood silently on the front porch. The manilla folder was with Alison, and that's all that was important right now. I knew she would read it, too, she'd try to get her father to find some loophole and shimmy her way out of this divorce, but it wasn't happening. Not this time. She wasn't escaping.

I turned away, closing my ears off to the sound of my daughter sobbing and screaming, I got in my car and drove 20 over the speed limit to get home to Aria.

Alison

"I hate you!" Marley screamed. A sentence that I had never heard come out of her mouth. She had only said 'hate' one other time, when she was telling me how much she hated green beans. I never made her eat them again.

"Marley, no, baby!" I cried as I raced up the stairs to follow her into my old bedroom. It had been remodeled and redecorated into a room just for Marley. The things my father did for her...

"Why did you say those things, Mommy? Why would you make Daddy leave?" She sobbed, her eyes looked at me with accusation and betrayal and I didn't like it at all.

"I'm sorry, baby! I'm so, so sorry! But I-I couldn't let him hurt us again! Not again, baby, not again!" I murmured, pulling her into my arms as I sat on the bed.

"What? He never hurt us, Mommy!" She wailed, her tears soaking my shirt.

"Yes, Mar, yes he did! I just didn't want to tell you. I didn't want to upset you, darling." I raced my brain, thinking of the first wild lie that came into my head that I knew she would believe. "Remember when Daddy was gone for a really long time and when he came back, you asked him if Miss Aria was taking him away? Well, he lied when he told you know, baby. He loves Miss Aria more than me. He's with her right now."

"No! You're lying to me! Daddy would never lie to me! Never, never, ever!" I could hear in her tone that she would give up easily, she would give in and believe every word I muttered to her.

"I'm not lying, love. He loves her more than you." And there it was.

"Noooo!" She sobbed, clinging onto my arms for her life. Her heart was broken, for a split-second I allowed the guilt inside. How could I have done this to my sweet Marley? Because I had to. It was as simple as that. I was going to win. If it was the last thing I did. I didn't care what it took, or what happened...I would win.

"I know, Mar, I know! I'm sorry, baby. I love you, though. I love you so, so, so much! And that's why I had to send Daddy away." She cried for another half hour before she calmed down and fell asleep in my arms. I laid her in the bed and covered her gently with the sheets and her blanket. It was getting dark anyways and my father would be home soon.

There was only one thing left that I had to do.

I walked downstairs with a new feeling of determination. I found my black Coach purse on the kitchen counter and dug through it until my fingers came across my Blackberry.

It rang three times before his voice filled my ear.

"Hey, girl. Where're you? Where's my daughter?"

"Shut up and listen, Toby, you need to get down here as quickly as you can. There's been a little problem...and I know you remember the deal we made before Marley was born. I need your help."

"Well it must be your lucky day, cuz I'm right outside Pittsburgh, I'll be there in an hour."

Aria

I was sitting on Ezra's old couch in the apartment, looking around. I had organized and reorganized his bookshelf, his music, his clothes, my clothes. Everything was OCDishly neat and clean. I had been driving myself crazy since the previous night. With Jason. With the new information I had discovered.

I kept repeating every word, every detail he had told me over and over in my head. I was fidgeting with my purse which I had on my lap because I had just finished organizing that too. The doorknob turned and I jumped as Ezra forced the door open. I jumped up and ran over to him, seeing just a glance of his face. I wrapped my arms around him and he held me in his arms, too.

"Ezra, what happened?" I asked, I could feel the sadness radiating from him. Something bad had happened, I could feel it. He didn't answer immediately, instead he led me over to the couch and pulled me down next to him. I didn't snuggle into him though, I had to look at his face, watch him as he spoke to me.

"Um, well, Alison wasn't too happy about the divorce...and even more upset about me wanting custody over Marley, so she told me I'd never see her again...I can just hear the lies she's telling Mar right now...Aria, she's gonna hate me...she's gonna be a different little girl when-if..I ever see her again." I hugged him tightly, he wasn't crying, though. He wouldn't. He wanted to be strong.

"I'm so sorry, Ezra," was all I could mutter. I didn't have experience with families or children or marriage so how could I possibly help?

"I don't know what to do, babe," Ezra mumbled in my ear. My heart warmed as he called me 'babe.' Every time he touched me, looked at me, called me a special name, it always made me smile to know that it wasn't a dream. It was real and he still loved me.

"I know what to do...but you just have to trust me..okay?" I murmured. I had a plan. It was going to work, too, I could feel it.