Chapter 17 - Emma’s First Flight Nightmare
Emma woke screaming.
Not at home.
At Paige’s.
Three weeks after the incident.
“Get it off!”
Claire ran into the room.
Emma was clawing at her blanket.
“No!”
Claire turned on the light.
“Emma.”
The child saw her.
Then collapsed into sobs.
“It was on my face.”
Claire held her carefully.
Not trapping.
“Dream.”
Emma shook.
“I couldn’t move my hands.”
“I know.”
“I tried.”
“I know.”
“Ethan didn’t see.”
Claire’s chest tightened.
“But he did.”
“In the dream he didn’t.”
Claire stayed until sunrise.
Therapy changed after that.
Not only family secrets.
Trauma.
Airplanes.
Closed spaces.
Black fabric.
The feeling of becoming weak while an adult insisted she was “just sleeping.”
Dr. Marks told Claire:
“You cannot promise she’ll never feel afraid again.”
“I know.”
“Can you promise you’ll listen when she says she is?”
“Yes.”
That became the work.
Emma started sleeping with her bedroom door open.
Then half open.
Then closed again by choice.
Small control.
Important.
Ethan sent a package.
Nothing dramatic.
A model airplane.
Emma stared at it for several minutes.
Claire worried.
Then Emma opened the box.
A note:
This one only goes where you tell it.
Emma smiled.
She placed it on her desk.
Claire texted Ethan:
That was either perfect or a terrible idea.
He replied:
I stared at the box for 20 minutes before mailing it.
Emma later asked to video call him.
“Do you still fly?”
“All the time.”
“Does it scare you?”
“No.”
“That’s unfair.”
Ethan smiled.
“I’m scared of other things.”
“Like what?”
“Public speaking.”
Emma looked offended.
“That’s not scary.”
“Exactly how I feel about airplanes.”
She considered that.
Different fears.
Not less real.
Meanwhile Claire’s divorce attorney prepared papers.
Martin remained in custody pending resolution of charges, later released under strict conditions after bond proceedings.
No contact with Emma.
Limited contact with Claire through counsel.
His criminal defense strategy shifted.
He admitted financial concealment.
Denied intending harm to Emma.
Claimed Vanessa acted beyond their agreement.
Then prosecutors recovered the prepaid messages.
You have what I gave you.
His position weakened.
Douglas accepted a cooperation agreement related to financial misconduct.
He resigned all company roles and returned most of the $450,000 advisory fee.
Claire refused his request for a private meeting.
Maybe later.
Not now.
One afternoon Emma asked:
“Will I ever see Martin again?”
Claire paused.
“Do you want to?”
“No.”
“Then not now.”
“He was my stepdad.”
“Yes.”
“He made pancakes.”
“Yes.”
“He helped with science fair.”
“Yes.”
“Was that fake?”
Claire felt pain.
“No.”
“How do you know?”
Because humans were not one thing.
She had said it too many times.
Still true.
“I think those moments were real.”
“Then how could he do the other stuff?”
Claire sat beside her.
“People sometimes protect what they want more than they protect the people they say they love.”
Emma frowned.
“That’s not love.”
“Not loving behavior.”
Emma looked at the model airplane.
“Does he love me?”
Claire did not know.
“I think he believed he did.”
“Bad answer.”
“Yes.”
Emma leaned against her.
Then:
“Did Aunt Vanessa love me?”
“I think so.”
“Same bad answer.”
Claire smiled sadly.
“Yes.”
Emma sighed.
“I like Ethan.”
“Easy choice.”
“He just yelled.”
Claire laughed.
“Very loudly.”
Emma smiled.
Then her face changed.
“Mom?”
“Yeah?”
“Was I really going to Reno?”
Claire nodded.
“Yes.”
“What would happen?”
“A judge would have asked questions.”
“Would Vanessa win?”
“Probably not.”
Emma looked surprised.
“Then why do it?”
Claire thought of Martin.
Douglas.
Vanessa.
Eleanor.
All the elaborate schemes built to influence temporary moments.
“Because adults sometimes think getting control for one day will let them control everything after.”
Emma looked at her.
“Did it?”
“No.”
“Good.”
She picked up the model airplane.
“Can we fly again someday?”
Claire felt fear she would never show fully.
“Yes.”
“When?”
“When you choose.”
Emma nodded.
“Not yet.”
May you like
“Not yet.”
That answer itself was progress.
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