“You changed Emma’s routine without telling me. You lied to Melissa. You created conflicting pickup instructions. Emma was standing at school today wondering which adult she was supposed to believe.”
“I was trying to protect her.”
“From what?”
“From him.”
“What has he done?”
Ryan said nothing.
Then I said, “Emma told me she doesn’t trust you anymore.”
His face went pale. “She said that?”
“Yes.”
“She’s seven. She doesn’t understand what she’s saying.”
“Don’t decide she doesn’t mean it because you don’t like hearing it.”
He went still.
I asked, “What did Travis confront you about?”
Ryan’s eyes shifted.
“He stuck his nose into our parenting.”
“How?”
“Do you always have to do that?” Ryan snapped. “Is it really asking so much to expect you to trust me, your husband?”
I stared at him for a long moment.
Then I pulled out my phone and called someone.
“I need you to come over, please. Now,” I said.
I hung up.
“Who was that?” Ryan asked, his voice laced with urgency.
“Someone who I hope will give me the answers you won’t.”
—
Ten minutes later, Travis stood inside our doorway while Ryan glared at him.
I folded my arms.
“Tell me what Emma told you.”
He looked uncomfortable. “She started asking why Ryan didn’t like me.”
Ryan scoffed.
Travis ignored him. “At first I told her adults don’t always get along. Then she said Ryan kept asking her questions about me.”
I looked at my husband. “What questions?”
Travis answered.
“Whether I ever took her somewhere else. Whether I bought her things. Whether I let her do things you wouldn’t allow. Whether I told her to keep secrets.”
My stomach tightened.
Ryan said, “Those are normal questions.”
“The questions weren’t the problem,” Travis replied. “At least, not the first time you asked them, but then you kept pushing after she answered you.”
I looked at Ryan. He wouldn’t meet my eyes.
Travis continued. “She told me you kept bringing it up. Eventually you told her, ‘You don’t have to protect Travis. You can tell me if he hurt you.’”
My chest tightened. “Ryan… what the heck?”
He turned toward me.
“I was making sure!”
Travis’s voice hardened. “She said, ‘Daddy keeps asking like I’m saying it wrong.’”
I covered my mouth. Suddenly, Emma’s behavior made sense.
Travis continued.
“I talked to him a few days ago. Told him if he had a problem with me, he should talk to me. Stop putting Emma in the middle.”
Ryan laughed bitterly. “You told me how to parent my daughter.”
“I told you to stop making her think she’s lying because she won’t give you the answer you want.” Travis glanced between us. “He said he’d handle it.”
And Ryan’s solution had been to remove Travis.
Ryan pointed at him. “This proves exactly what I’ve been saying. Why is my seven-year-old discussing me with you?”
Travis stared at him. “Because you kept asking her about me.”
Ryan fell silent.
But the real question remained.
What was he actually afraid of?
I turned to Travis. “You should have told me.”
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