I’m impressed with Alex. He must have worked around the clock to track down the psychologist so quickly. He then explained the situation to her, telling her what we needed.
The psychologist, surprisingly, was actually eager to help, especially when Alex told her that we wouldn’t be using the letter in court. In that letter, she diagnoses Polly with severe post-partum depression, which led to her having delusions, hallucinations and manic episodes. She writes about how Polly lied to her family regarding her apparent abuse at my hands. None of this, of course, was her fault at the time; her mind had simply been unable to bear the pressure of having a child unexpectedly, something that must have been incredibly difficult for her. However, it’s the fact that she’s still using those lies, now that she’s better, that is the issue.
“How…?” Polly gasps.
“You thought I was just going to let you win, Polly?” I ask. “You come into our life and threaten to take my daughter away from me, and you think I’m just going to roll over and let it happen? It was never going to happen. Ten years ago, you might have had me. But a lot has changed in that time, and I will protect my daughter from everything, including you and your husband.”
Polly looks at the letter again. She knows, as well as I do, that a letter like this will completely ruin her.
“What now?” she asks shakily.
“Now I offer you a deal,” I say. “You drop all thoughts of custody. You leave Lily in my care. You come up with something to tell all these people you lied to… Honestly, I don’t give a damn what you tell them; they were stupid enough to believe you ten years ago and I’m not interested in their opinion. In return, I don’t release this letter to the press or on the internet, along with a statement that Councilor Sanders is using his wife’s lies to attempt to take the daughter of the hard-working man that raised her.” Polly’s face pales. “And I am happy to organize visitation rights for you, too.”
“What?” Polly asks, taken aback. “Are you…? You’d still allow me to visit?”
“Not visit,” I correct. “You will not be allowed to set foot in this house ever again. No, I will organize for Lily to visit you, or for the two of you to go on predetermined outings until I’ve decided that I can trust you with her. The only contact I’m willing to have with you from this point is the exchange of messages where you tell me where you want to take Lily, and I approve or disapprove, and the brief moments we see each other when I drop Lily off and pick her up.”
“I’m her mother…” Polly tries.
“You just tried to use our daughter for a political advantage,” I say coldly. “You don’t have the right to call yourself that.”
Polly purses her lips.
“So, what do you say?” I ask. “Do we have a deal?”
Polly grits her teeth. Then she glances at the letter from the psychologist and sighs gustily.
“I’ll talk to Warrick,” she says tiredly. “We’ll drop the case.”
I won. I pick up the letter with shaking hands and fold it back up. I really won. Polly gathers up her things, lifts her chin and stands. As she goes to leave the kitchen, however, she falters and looks back.
“Thank you,” she says.
“What for?” I ask, startled.
Polly’s expression is conflicted, as though she’s fighting with herself.
“I…didn’t agree with it,” she finally says. “I don’t want children. I made that clear when Lily was born. I’ve enjoyed getting to know Lily, but I didn’t think taking custody was a good idea. Warrick was the one that came up with it. As I got to know Lily, I thought it wouldn’t be so bad, but…” She smiles slightly. “This is for the best, anyway. Between you and Georgia, Lily will be fine.”
I don’t tell her that Georgia won’t be around for much longer. I just nod, acknowledging the first bit of sincerity that Polly has shown me since she arrived back in my life. She nods back, and then she’s gone.
I collapse back in my chair. I need to tell Alex that I won. I need to tell Kyle, Allison, Grant and Jessica, who all know what was going on. And I need to tell the whole story to Georgia, somehow, even though she won’t be happy to find out about everything after the fact.
But, right now, I just want to bask in this.
I won.
Now, finally, everything will be fine.
Well… almost. There’s one more thing left to do. When I left the café yesterday, I watched Georgia texting, and I know her well enough to know what it was about. Georgia will be leaving us. So I need to give her a proper farewell.
I pull out my phone and begin texting. No matter what, Georgia is my best friend, and she deserves to know just how many people love her.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Georgia
I try hard to smile as Lily and I walk through the gates, the brightly lit lights and loud chatter of the crowded field just ahead. Lily was already disappointed to discover that her father, who claimed to have work all of a sudden, was not going to be coming with us. So, it’s up to me to give her a nice time.