Chapter 4: What Orson Built
He sat.
Tabitha crossed her arms.
"This is ridiculous.
You can't just—"
"Tabitha." I kept my voice level.
"I'm going to ask you one question.
I want you to think carefully before you answer it."
She lifted her chin.
"Fine."
"How many times have you moved Juniper's inhaler pouch since I've been leaving her here?"
A beat of silence.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Willa photographed it.
Twice.
Different locations.
Both times when I was out of the house and you were the only other adult present."
Tabitha's eyes cut to Willa.
"You little—"
"Don't." My voice came out harder than I intended.
I pulled it back.
"Don't speak to her."
Orson cleared his throat.
"Callum, I understand you're upset, but you're reading this situation completely—"
"You called Renata."
The room went quiet.
Orson's expression didn't change.
That was the tell.
A man who was surprised shows it.
A man who was caught shows nothing and waits to see what you know.
"I was concerned," he said.
"I'm her grandfather.
I have every right to—"
"You told her I was struggling.
That Juniper wasn't being properly cared for.
You offered to provide a statement supporting a custody modification."
"I was trying to help."
"You were trying to take my daughter."
Tabitha made a sound — half laugh, half dismissal.
"Oh, that's dramatic."
"Is it?" I looked at her.
"Because the recording has you and Dad standing over Juniper's inhaler pouch forty minutes before I arrived.
And it has Dad saying — in his own words — that if she has a bad enough episode, I'll have to move back.
That's not concern, Tabitha.
That's a plan."
Orson stood up.
"You're not well," he said quietly.
"You've been under enormous stress since the divorce.
We've all seen it.
Renata saw it.
That's why I reached out to her — because I was worried about the effect on Juniper."
"Sit down."
"I'm not going to sit here and be—"
"I have the recording, Dad.
I have Willa's notes going back three weeks.
I have the timestamp on your call to Renata.
And I have a solicitor's number in my phone that I haven't dialled yet." I looked at him steadily.
"Sit down."
He sat down again.
Slowly.
Willa hadn't moved from the window.
Juniper had fallen into a light doze against her shoulder, worn out from the episode.
"Why?" I asked.
I hadn't planned to ask it.
It came out before I could stop it.
"Why would you do this?
She's four years old.
She has asthma.
You used that.
You used her lungs against her."
Orson looked at the table.
"I want you home," he said.
"The divorce was a mistake.
You being in that flat alone, Juniper going back and forth — it's not right.
It's not how this family works."
"So your solution was to make my daughter sick enough that her mother would take her from me, and then I'd have no choice but to come back here."
He didn't answer.
"Say it out loud, Dad.
Say what you were doing."
"I was trying to keep this family together."
"By putting Juniper at risk."
Silence.
Tabitha looked at the floor.
For the first time since I'd walked in, she looked like she understood the size of what they'd done.
"I want you both to listen to me," I said.
"I'm taking Juniper to Renata tonight.
Tomorrow I'm meeting with my solicitor.
What happens after that depends entirely on what you do in the next twenty-four hours."
Orson looked up.
"What does that mean?"
"It means you have until tomorrow morning to decide whether you're going to make this harder than it needs to be."
I went to Willa and took Juniper carefully from her arms.
My daughter stirred, murmured, settled against my chest.
"Thank you," I said quietly to Willa.
"For all of it."
She nodded once.
Her eyes were red at the edges.
I carried Juniper toward the door.
May you like
Behind me, Orson said: "You'll regret shutting us out."
I didn't turn around.
