Two weeks after Scott left, we appeared in family court.
It was an initial hearing about temporary arrangements.
Not the end of the divorce.
Not a trial that could resolve years of finances before lunch.
The hallway smelled of floor polish and coffee.
Scott stood by a vending machine in his navy blazer.
His attorney held a slim folder.
Leah carried a heavy binder and a short outline of the matters we needed addressed.
“Good morning, Dana,” Scott said.
His voice was loud enough for the people nearby.
“Morning.”
“I hope we can be civilized.”
“That's why we're here.”
His smile tightened.
Inside, the judge explained that the priority was stability while the case proceeded.
The court would not decide final property distribution that morning.
Leah requested that Ben and Ellie remain in the family home pending further orders.
She also asked for a temporary schedule that gave Scott dependable parenting time without allowing either parent to make unilateral changes.
Scott's attorney said he had been an active parent.
That was true in part.
The judge asked about school schedules and whether either party intended to relocate.
I answered carefully.
Scott said he wanted the children with him because he could give them a better standard of living.
The judge asked whether his apartment had appropriate sleeping arrangements for both children.
“I'm making arrangements,” Scott said.
The judge did not scold him.
The judge asked for specifics.
Scott described a second bedroom and a sofa bed.
Leah asked the court to avoid changing the children's primary residence while those details were sorted out.
Next came temporary financial arrangements.
Scott described himself as carrying the business and supporting nearly every expense.
He said the joint funds were limited.
Leah waited until he finished.
Then she asked about the account ending in 4821.
Scott's smile slipped.
“What account?” he said.
“The account receiving transfers from the parties' joint checking account,” Leah replied.
She gave the judge a short summary of the statements.
Scott's attorney objected to drawing conclusions from incomplete records.
The judge agreed that the hearing was not the place to determine whether money had been hidden.
But the judge also wanted both sides to exchange complete financial information.
Scott cleared his throat.
“That's a business-related account.”
Leah looked at him.
“Is it held in your name, your company's name, or someone else's?”
“I'd need to check.”
“You didn't list it.”
“My accountant handles that.”
The judge turned to the attorneys.
A financial disclosure deadline would be set.
Both sides would provide supporting records.
The judge also ordered temporary financial arrangements so ordinary expenses could be paid while the dispute continued.
There was no instant punishment.
There was no verdict that I owned everything because Scott looked embarrassed.
But there was an order Scott could not simply talk over.
He could not make the children's residence a private bargaining chip.
And he could not ask the court to divide assets without identifying them.
After the hearing, Scott walked past me without speaking.
Aaron followed him.
I had not known his brother would attend.
Aaron looked worried.
Scott looked furious.
In the parking garage, Leah handed me a copy of the temporary order when it was available.
“Don't celebrate a question like it's an answer,” she said.
“I know.”
“Today we protected the children's routine. Now we do the slower work.”
I studied the page showing the next court date.
It was weeks away.
I thought about how Scott had expected my signature to finish everything in one night.
The system was not that simple.
Neither was my life.
When I arrived home, Ben had spread a puzzle across the dining table.
Ellie was practicing scales upstairs.
Mara had made spaghetti.
“How'd it go?” she asked quietly.
“The kids stay here for now.”
Her shoulders dropped.
“And the money?”
“We're going to find out.”
Ben looked up.
“Are we still going to school tomorrow?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Good. We're making a volcano.”
His relief appeared in the form of a cardboard mountain.
I helped him mix glue and newspaper strips until our fingers were sticky.
For that evening, the only thing erupting in the house was a school project.
Click here to continue reading: PART 6: Ellie Asked for One Ordinary Weekend and Scott Turned a Parenting Calendar into Another Argument
The Night Scott Put Divorce Papers Beside Our Dinner and Mistook My Signature for Surrender
Part 5 of 16
