Christopher shifted behind me but stayed silent.
I repeated the question.
Gregory finally said, “It was just cleaner if she wasn’t listed here.”
Cleaner.
The word chilled me.
“What does that mean?”
“It means there would be fewer complications if you moved.”
“Complications for whom?”
He stood up.
“For us. Alison, I was trying to give us a fresh start.”
There had never been an us in the paperwork.
Only my name.
My apartment.
My signature.
My daughter being treated like a complication to be managed later.
I reached for the file box.
Gregory put his hand on top of it.
Not violently.
He simply stopped me from taking it.
Christopher stepped forward.
I raised one hand without looking back at him.
This was mine to answer.
“Move your hand.”
Gregory stared at me.
“You really think I’m stealing from you?”
“I think those are my documents.”
“You know what I mean.”
