Chapter 6 - Marissa Had Kept Every Letter
I met Marissa three days later.
For the first time since the divorce.
She looked older than I remembered.
Not dramatically.
Just tired in a way money cannot hide.
Delaney sat nearby doing homework while we talked.
I apologized first.
“For what?”
“For believing only Keaton’s version.”
Marissa smiled faintly.
“You’re his brother.”
“That doesn’t excuse me.”
She nodded.
Then brought out two file boxes.
Letters.
Email chains.
Motions.
Proposed agreements.
Billing records.
One pattern appeared immediately.
Keaton would make an aggressive proposal.
Marissa would reject part of it.
His attorney would send a formal demand.
If she still refused, he filed.
Then, shortly before hearing, he often compromised near her original position.
Meaning the litigation itself produced little substantive change.
But it produced cost.
Example:
Keaton demanded three additional summer weeks.
Marissa offered one.
He filed.
After $8,000 in combined legal work, he accepted one additional week.
Another:
He demanded sole authority over extracurricular activities.
Marissa refused.
He filed.
Before hearing, he accepted joint decision-making with a response deadline.
Another:
He claimed Marissa interfered with calls because Delaney missed two scheduled FaceTimes during a school trip.
Formal motion.
Later withdrawn.
Each one individually defensible enough to avoid looking outrageous.
Together?
Attrition.
I asked Marissa:
“Why didn’t you ask the court for fees?”
“I did twice.”
“What happened?”
“Partial awards. Not enough.”
“Why not stop fighting?”
She looked toward Delaney.
“Because every ‘small’ agreement moved another piece of her life toward a man who already had more money, more lawyers, and more time.”
She took a breath.
May you like
“I wasn’t trying to beat Keaton. I was trying not to disappear.”
That sentence explained Delaney’s rage better than anything else had.
