Husband plans to kill me Chapter 390

Then she turned to me and said, "Look, taking care of Briar is Leo's job. He can't just bail because his startup tanked and he's having a tough time. You're not his family, and you've already split from Brandon. Their problems aren't yours to fix."

Savannah was right. I had been overthinking everything, and it was making it hard to get anything done.

If I sent Briar back, my own problems at home would be easier to manage.

In the end, Savannah knew about Brett's disappearance and urged me even more to send Briar back.

"Caroline, I'm not trying to be harsh, but you know I'm on your side. Briar ran away from home and kept it from us, which means she has her own reasons. And you said you took her to see a therapist, which is a big deal! You need to explain this to Leo when you send her back."

With Savannah's comfort and encouragement, I finally called Leo.

"Leo, it's been a while. How've you been since you got out?" I tried to keep my tone calm.

Leo's response was as I expected. He said he cleaned up a bit after getting home, but he had been feeling lost these past few days.

He couldn't muster any energy and had no plans to work anytime soon.

He even felt anxious just seeing office buildings.

It was understandable. Anyone would feel that way after being in prison for a while.

I expressed my understanding.

After a moment, Leo seemed to catch on to my intention and asked if I was planning to send Briar back.

I hesitated but eventually confirmed it.

Savannah, sitting across from me, gave me a thumbs-up.

I told him, "I have no choice. Briar has been staying with us for so long, and she and Brett have gotten so close that neither of them wants to go to school anymore."

I pretended it was all for the kids' sake.

"But during this time, I've been taking care of Brett myself because I didn't want to leave Briar with my family. My work has piled up, and I need to get back to it. Now that you're out, you should take care of her."

My tone became firmer. "Sending her back will give you two more time to talk. Maybe seeing Briar will give you the motivation to face life's challenges."

Leo seemed hesitant at first, as if he wanted to tell me something.

I held my phone, patiently waiting for his response.

Was he going to mention Renee?

But after a while, he just sighed and said, "Alright, if you want to send Briar back, I'll come get her. But I want to know, are you starting to resent us because of this? Are you planning to cut us off?"

I smiled and said, "Don't worry, of course not. I've been worried about you a lot lately. I just need a break. You take Briar back, and we can still meet up and chat or have dinner when we have time. I promise this won't change anything."

Leo finally agreed and said he'd come by to pick up Briar another day.

This time, I didn't refuse.

But I didn't tell Leo about the therapist.

Briar was still so young, and if I could keep it from Leo, I would...

Besides, she only went once, and Briar hadn't mentioned it since.

If Briar told Leo herself, I could understand.

But for me to bring it up would be too cruel.

And as a father, Leo might blame me for making decisions on my own.

I suppressed all my emotions and arranged a time for Leo to pick up Briar.

The next morning, when Leo arrived, Savannah was with me at home.

I had wanted Royce to come too.

But Royce had been so busy lately that he sometimes didn't even answer my calls.

This was unusual and surprised me.

Still, I didn't think much of it, just felt a bit uneasy.

After all, Royce had proposed to me, and I had turned him down.

No one could accept that right away, right?

Feeling a bit sad was normal.

Thinking about this, I sent Royce a few messages, telling him I wanted to talk. If he had time, he could come see me.

Royce didn't reply.

In the morning, the doorbell rang.

Savannah and I greeted Leo.

Leo seemed a bit nervous, fidgeting with his clothes at the door.

He was dressed casually today, a stark contrast to the suits he wore when he was trying to start his business.

Leo gave a wry smile and said, "It's been a while since I visited. Last time was because of some trouble..."

He frowned and said to me, "Caroline, to be honest, since you divorced Brandon, I've had to trouble you a lot. You're not part of the Jordan family anymore, and it doesn't seem right."

Leo was good with words.

How could I blame him after that?

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it. Today, let's focus on the matter at hand. Since you're taking a break, you need Briar with you."

Leo's current lack of direction and confusion was because Briar wasn't with him.

I said, "Briar grew up with me around. Even though we haven't been in close contact, like I said before, you can always come to me if you need anything. I won't turn you away."

If I had more energy, I would have kept Briar longer to observe her.

Briar had too many secrets, especially that contact in her phone, which still bothered me.

I couldn't help but wonder what I would find if I investigated further.

But I didn't tell Leo about this.

"By the way, Briar has been staying with me, but... Renee hasn't contacted me." I blinked at Savannah and couldn't help but ask Leo, "Have you been in touch with Renee?"

The last time Renee was mentioned was when Leo was locked up, and he had asked about her. Royce and I had told him the truth.