Chapter 4

Three million dollars.

And for me and Tammy.

One bottle of bruise ointment.

Twelve dollars.

For the month that followed, Jarvis was either on-site overseeing the construction or buried in company work.

Every time he came home, Tammy and I had already gone to sleep in the children's room.

The next morning, once he left, I would take Tammy back to the old estate to stay with his parents.

Frank Henson and Aileen Henson were old, but they saw things more clearly than Jarvis did. Once they knew the whole story, they asked me straight out,

"What do you want?"

I laid out several contracts, each in triplicate. They covered Jarvis's personal assets, his savings and investments, and a transfer of shares. On every one of them, the name of the recipient, the new owner, was Tammy's, without exception.

At first the two of them hesitated.

Then they heard about the lakeside park, and about the three-million-dollar gym, and they agreed without another word.

On one side, a woman who was likely their son's mistress, and two children with no blood tie to them.

On the other, their own granddaughter.

"All right. We understand. We'll make him sign it."

With that promise from them, my mind eased considerably.

Back at the Henson house, I still shared one bed with Tammy.

Now and then, when Jarvis came home early and ran into me, he would ask,

"Are you angry?"

I would answer,

"No."

"Then why won't you sleep in the master bedroom?"

I said nothing.

He looked at me, and after a long silence, he offered an explanation.

"I was in the wrong that day too. I shouldn't have stayed out of it when Andrew hit you, and I shouldn't have acted like I didn't see Tammy get pushed down."

"Victoria, I just think you were the one who started it."

I opened my mouth, ready to argue.

Then I thought again. What was the point?

A person's heart leans where it leans. Nothing I said would change which way his did.

But Jarvis clearly didn't see it that way. When I stayed quiet, he thought he'd hit the mark, thought I'd actually taken it in.

"Andrew and Ronnie have already stopped calling me that. From now on, don't say things like that in front of Hilda either."

"One sentence from you that day, and she went home and grieved over it for ages. She hasn't come to visit once in a whole month."

The words caught in my throat. I set down the picture book in my hand.

"You can invite her over."

Jarvis went still.

"You don't mind?"

I shook my head, my expression unchanged.

"I don't mind."

"..."

"You're not angry either?"

"No, I'm not angry."

"Why would I be?"

He wasn't wrong. If this had happened before, I might have had a screaming fight with him, clinging to it and refusing to let go until he gave me an answer.

Or I might have faked calm, exactly the way he described.

But now, all I wanted was to rest.

"Victoria."

"You've changed."

After a long silence, Jarvis got up and left.

He wasn't wrong.

Everyone changes.

Lights off. Sleep.

The next day, Jarvis had a business trip.

Before he left, he waited in the living room for Tammy and me to come downstairs.

"I've got someone supervising the gym site, and the company projects are just about wrapped up. When I get back from this trip, I'll take you and Tammy to see that place downtown."

I didn't look up.

"No need. I took Tammy to see it a few days ago. She loves it."

"And you? Do you like it?"

I didn't think much of it and made a small sound of agreement.

The next second, he pushed a purchase contract in front of me, the same kind as last time.

"Then I'll buy one for you too."

My eyes rested on it for two seconds, then moved away.

Jarvis spoke again.

"Anything you want me to bring back for you two?"

I looked at Tammy. She shook her head.

"No."

Two seconds of silence, then Jarvis nodded.

"Okay."

He walked to the door, then something seemed to occur to him, and he came back to ask me,

"Victoria, is there nothing you want to say to me?"

I tried hard to think, for a long moment.

There was nothing.

His face darkened, and he slammed the door on his way out.

I paid it no mind and went on with my little two-person world with Tammy.

But little by little I noticed that Tammy was acting strange.

After everything that had happened, she couldn't seem to feel close to Jarvis as a father anymore.

In the days Jarvis was away, she almost never brought him up on her own, never said she missed her daddy, and even on video calls she wouldn't show her face to say hello.

Once I realized it, I took her to see a psychologist right away.

The result was that among Tammy's attachments, Jarvis ranked dead last.

That night, lying in bed with Tammy in my arms, patting her, I asked,

"Tammy, what if Mommy raised you on her own, and Daddy was only part of it now and then? Would that make you sad?"

Tammy tipped up her little face.

"You mean just like now?"

I thought about it and nodded.

"Yes, just like now. Would you be okay with that?"

Tammy lowered her eyes, gripping the cloth doll in her hands tightly.

Something ached in my chest, and I quickly pulled her closer.

"Mommy's just asking..."

"It's okay, Mommy."

"Tammy's okay with it."

Her eyes were wet, and her little arms came around me.

"Daddy isn't only my daddy. But Mommy is only mine."

"So Tammy's okay with it. Tammy isn't sad."

The door handle gave a sharp little click.

The doorway of the room.

Jarvis stood there, staring, stunned.