Chapter 4 - The Ultimatum
The drive to my sister Sarah’s house in Columbus on December 26th was quiet, save for Ellie singing along to a Disney soundtrack in the back seat. Every mile put between us and Mason, Ohio, felt like shedding an invisible coat of lead.
Sarah’s house was warm, chaotic, and smelled delightfully of burnt toast and burnt-sugar cookies. She didn't ask a million probing questions; she took Ellie into the kitchen to bake gingerbread men and left me sitting at the dining table with a fresh mug of tea and my canvas tote bag.
I placed Judith’s ledger on the table, flipping through the horrifying pages. It was like reading the operational manual of a cult.
My phone buzzed on the table.
It wasn't a text this time. It was a video call from Ryan.
I stared at the screen for three rings before swiping to accept.
Ryan’s face appeared, illuminated by the harsh fluorescent lights of his kitchen in Mason. He looked like he hadn't slept at all. Behind him, the immaculate white dining room table was still set, though the chairs were pushed back and the centerpiece had been shoved carelessly into the corner.
"Hannah," he said, his voice raw. "Where are you?"
"I'm at my sister’s in Columbus."
He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Columbus? Hannah, are you out of your mind? You packed up and drove two hours away without telling me? My mother is beside herself. She wants to call the police."
"On what grounds, Ryan? For kidnapping myself and my own daughter?" I asked, my voice dangerously calm. "Go ahead. Call them. Let’s explain to the local police department why your mother struck me across the face on Christmas Eve."
Ryan flinched. "She didn't mean to hit you. She lost her balance while trying to reach—"
"Stop lying," I snapped, leaning closer to the camera. "Stop lying to me, stop lying to yourself, and stop lying to your family. I have Frank’s ledger, Ryan."
Ryan froze. The color drained from his face so fast he looked ghost-white.
"What... what did you say?"
"I said, I have Frank’s ledger," I repeated clearly. "Forty-two years of point systems, behavior scores, and emotional debt calculations. Your mother is a tyrant, Ryan, and you are her primary enabler. I’m done."
For a long, agonizing moment, Ryan didn't speak. The silence stretched between Columbus and Mason like a taut wire.
When he finally spoke, his voice had changed. The desperate, pleading tone was gone, replaced by a cold, brittle edge that sounded terrifyingly like Judith.
"You think you can just blow up our family over a family dispute?" he whispered, venom creeping into his words. "You think you can take my daughter away and steal my mother’s property?"
"Property?" I let out a sharp, incredulous laugh. "That ledger belongs to Frank. And Ellie and I are human beings, not your mother’s property."
"If you don't bring Ellie back to Mason by tomorrow morning," Ryan said, his voice dropping into a flat, ugly ultimatum, "I’m filing for emergency custody. I’ll tell the judge you’re an unstable, erratic mother who abandoned our home over a minor domestic disagreement. My mother has lawyers, Hannah. Good ones. You won't stand a chance."
The threat hung in the air between us, heavy and poisonous.
He wasn't bluffing. Or rather, Judith was whispering the words directly into his ear from just off-screen. I could see the shadow of her bathrobe sleeve moving in the background reflection of the kitchen window.
"Do whatever you need to do, Ryan," I said, my voice steady as a rock. "Because the next time I see you, it will be in a courtroom with Frank’s ledger in my hand."
I tapped the screen, ending the call.
May you like
My hands were shaking slightly, but deep down, a fierce, burning resolve had taken root. He wanted a war?
Fine. Let’s see how well Judith’s point system holds up against a judge.
