Chapter 12 - The House Was Rebuilt Without Ethan
Our Wilmington house could be repaired.
The first floor required extensive work.
Flood remediation.
Electrical replacement.
Drywall.
Cabinetry.
HVAC components.
Months.
Ethan wanted to sell immediately.
I wanted to rebuild before making a decision.
Because we jointly owned the property, neither of us could simply dictate.
So lawyers negotiated.
Eventually I bought out his interest using a combination of separate funds and the agreed property settlement.
Not because I needed to win the house.
Because Liam did not want to leave his school.
And because Sophie stood in the gutted living room one afternoon and asked:
“Can our house be not wet again?”
“Yes.”
That was enough.
Insurance paid what the policy legitimately covered.
No magical fortune.
Deductibles.
Depreciation rules.
Receipts.
Contractors.
Arguments with adjusters.
Real recovery is paperwork.
Mr. Dalton helped me choose a contractor.
Rachel helped select paint.
Liam wanted his room blue.
Sophie wanted every wall purple.
We compromised only with Sophie.
Ethan moved into an apartment near downtown after the separation.
His custody time began under a temporary schedule.
The flood abandonment mattered.
So did his financial secrecy.
But family court did not treat adultery as automatic parental disqualification.
He loved the children.
They loved him.
The more difficult question was judgment.
Would he prioritize them appropriately in an emergency?
Could he communicate honestly?
Would he stop using them to control me?
A parenting coordinator became involved.
Ethan hated it.
May you like
Then adapted.
For once, another adult watched whether he followed through.
