Chapter 7: The Envelope
A thick, manila envelope arrived via certified mail on a rainy Tuesday afternoon. David signed for it at the front door, the postal worker oblivious to the heavy weight the documents carried.
Sitting at his desk while Lily was at school and Leo napped, David carefully sliced the envelope open. Inside was the finalized restraining order, signed by a judge, explicitly barring Eleanor from coming within five hundred feet of David, Lily, Leo, their home, or Lily’s elementary school.
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A profound wave of relief washed over him, but it was quickly chased by a cold, lingering anxiety. Eleanor was a proud, vindictive woman. Being legally ordered to stay away would wound her ego, and David knew wounded people were unpredictable.
He spent the rest of the afternoon upgrading the house. He installed new, high-definition security cameras above the garage, the front porch, and the backyard patio. He tested the window locks and updated the alarm system passcode. He wasn't just building a figurative wall anymore; he was fortifying their physical sanctuary. When Lily came home that afternoon, dropping her brightly colored backpack in the hallway, David hugged her a little tighter than usual, knowing the law was finally on their side.
