It felt strange at first.
Over the next few weeks, I kept going.
I organized every document I could find, made calls, and followed up on things Sean used to handle.
Every step was small, but they added up.
Peter noticed, but didn’t say much.
Sean noticed too and started calling more.
“That’s not necessary, Cat,” he said once. “You’re overthinking things. You’ve been spending too much time with my dad. He’s filling your head with nonsense.”
I didn’t argue or defend my actions.
I didn’t need to.
I kept going.
The biggest shift occurred a week later.
Sean showed up to pick up the kids and mentioned an extended visit.
“Thought I’d take them for a bit longer this time,” he said casually. “A couple of weeks.”
“That’s not what we agreed on.”
“They’re excited. It’ll be fine. They’ll enjoy it.”
I shook my head. “What about school?”
“They can miss a little.”
“Where will they be staying?”
He frowned. “With me.”
“It’ll be fine.”
“Who else will be there?”
“Cat—”
“And why are you telling them before talking to me?” I added.
That stopped him.
For the first time, Sean didn’t have an easy answer.
He looked at me differently then.
As if he didn’t recognize who he was talking to.
“Forget it,” he said after a moment. “We’ll stick to the usual schedule.”
He backed off.
Just like that.
