Chapter 22 - I REFUSE MY FATHER’S OFFER
Dad wanted to buy me a townhouse.
Cash.
Near the hospital.
Near his house.
“Temporary.”
I almost said yes.
Then stopped.
“How temporary?”
“As long as you need.”
There.
Another dependency.
Kinder.
Safer.
Still dependency.
I said:
“I’ll rent.”
Dad looked hurt.
“Why?”
“Because I need to know I can build a life that isn’t funded by whichever man loves me most.”
That was harsher than necessary.
He accepted.
Then:
“I can still babysit?”
“We haven’t had the baby.”
“I plan ahead.”
I laughed.
Then I rented a two-bedroom townhouse.
My consulting income plus distributions from my separate shares made it affordable.
No palace.
No father-owned property.
No Berenger.
The joint house would be sold later.
I moved only essentials before delivery.
Baby furniture.
Clothes.
My files.
The hidden emergency phone went into a drawer.
I kept it charged anyway.
Not because I expected attack.
Because preparedness felt different when I chose it.
Then I made another choice.
I declined to ask Dad to testify for permanent termination of Berenger’s future parental rights.
Not because I trusted Berenger.
Because that question belonged to family court after birth, evidence, and child welfare standards.
I wanted supervised contact initially.
Strong safety conditions.
No unsupervised newborn visits.
No Leandra present.
That was enough to request.
I would not use corporate power to erase parentage.
May you like
Hard.
Necessary.
