Chapter 6 - Ryan’s Desperate Search
Back in Columbus, Ryan’s life had devolved into an unmitigated disaster.
Without me, his daily existence cracked at the seams. He burned his toast on Monday, forgot to pay the electric bill on Tuesday, and spent Wednesday night eating cold canned soup while staring at the spot in the living room where our television used to stand.
More than the domestic chaos, the silence in the house was suffocating. He realized, with a sickening jolt of clarity, how much emotional labor I had performed quietly in the background—managing Sophie’s doctors, remembering birthdays, organizing grocery lists, and keeping his mother at a manageable distance.
Ryan tried visiting Patricia for comfort, but her presence was no longer a refuge; it was a daily trial of listening to her scream about how ungrateful and insolent I was.
“She’s a viper, Ryan!” Patricia shouted across her spotless kitchen island, slamming a mug of tea down so hard the liquid sloshed over the rim. “Taking my granddaughter away like a common criminal! You need to hire a private investigator! Sue her for full custody!”
“Mom, stop!” Ryan snapped, rubbing his temples where a chronic migraine had settled three days ago. “This is all because of what you said at the birthday party!”
Patricia froze, her eyes narrowing into cold slits. “Are you blaming me? For her lack of character? I merely stated a biological fact! She didn't work a real job!”
“She made ninety grand a year doing freelance design while managing the house!” Ryan roared, standing up so fast his chair scraped loudly against the tile floor. “I checked her tax returns after she left! She made more than my first two promotions combined, and I treated her like a maid!”
Patricia gasped, clutching her pearls. “How dare you raise your voice to your mother over that ungrateful—”
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Ryan didn't wait to hear the rest. He grabbed his jacket, walked out of her house, and slammed the front door so hard a decorative plate rattled in the hallway.
He drove aimlessly for an hour before finally parking outside a law firm specializing in family relocation and property disputes. It was time to stop listening to his mother and start figuring out how to fix the wreckage he had allowed her to create.
