“You’re taking my time to share the fact that your wife is annoyed she can’t predict what groceries she needs to buy for the week, Conrad. I’m busy. I have a life. I don’t have time for these trivialities. Honestly?”

“Our children aren’t trivialities, Amelia,” he snapped.

“We aren’t discussing our children,” I shot back. “We’re discussing your wife. And to me, she is. Now, unless there’s some real reason that this situation with the children cannot continue as it stands that you wish to discuss, the discussion is over. Things remain as they are and Martine has to find it in her to deal.”

“Fuck, why did I think you’d give that first shit about managing an issue with our kids?”

“Because this isn’t an issue with our kids,” I whispered my reply. “You have an issue at home with your wife.” That was a guess but with this ridiculous conversation, with the way I now knew my children were escaping that house and with what I knew of my ex-husband, it was a guess I suspected was correct. “You’re making this my issue because you can’t sort it yourself. I do not factor in your life, Conrad. I do not want to factor in your life. I will not be dragged into issues you have in your home with your wife. So do not ever call me when things are not going well for you unless that genuinely involves our children.”

“I’m assuming this is your way of telling me that even though you’ve at long last settled down and pulled yourself together, you don’t wish to participate in a team effort in the raising of our children.”

How could he take that from what I said?

“Am I speaking English?” I asked.

“Go fuck yourself, Amelia,” he retorted and hung up on me.

God, what a dick.

I stared at my phone now knowing things were not good with Conrad and Martine.

I didn’t give a crap about that.

I was worried about my kids.

Shit.

* * * * *

Later that morning, I pushed open the door to Dove House and my eyes went right to the reception area where I saw Ruth sitting.

“Hey,” I greeted.

I was surprised she was there. Ruth was still volunteering but sporadically, mostly because my three days a week, three hours a day had morphed into four days a week, four to five hours a day, and since I was there so often Dela didn’t really need another volunteer who may or may not be in it for the long haul (the last part was what she really didn’t need).

We always needed help, though, so Ruth filled in here and there, but it was no longer regular.

“Hey, Amelia,” she replied.

“Good to see you,” I said, shrugging off my jacket.