Megan discouraged Peter, when she refused to talk to him. What happened to a fair trial? He desperately wanted to grab her and console her, but he would probably end up arrested the way his luck was going. He wanted to help console the crying babies, but knew he had to leave before she did something drastic like refuse to let him see his kids.

How would she come around? He thought of asking the bitch responsible for this nightmare to tell the truth, but he didn't trust her. He thought of Sully, but he had sold his soul to the devil. If she didn't give Sully what he's been wanting since high school then it would be justice.

Peter didn't know what to do, but wait - wait for her to calm down, wait for a miracle, and wait to get his life back. What he was waiting for wasn't what came. He received a nice neat envelope that announced she was divorcing him. He once again felt as though the floor had been dropped from beneath him. She used her mother as the courier. She arrived back at her house with the babies and the papers.

"Peter, what's wrong?" Marie asked.

He had sunk to his knees with his hands in his face hiding his tears. He couldn't speak, so she took the papers.

He was in shock, but it enraged Marie. She was livid. Nick's crying, snapped Peter out of his torment temporarily. He held his son so tightly he was lucky he didn't hurt him.

Marie went upstairs to Ed. When she returned, she seemed calmer. Peter spent the morning with his babies, mourning his family. He was so thankful that he had them, because he wasn't sure he could have gone on without them.

Marie had been gone for a long time when she brought the babies back. She was visibly upset. Peter knew she had words with her daughter.

Ed had given him the name of a good lawyer and offered to help financially. Ed and Marie wanted Peter to stay with them. He stayed over once or twice when they forecasted snow, so he would be closer to Megan's to shovel her out. He wasn't sure he wanted to help her anymore. He was explaining this when Marie came home.

"Make her do it herself or pay for someone. She wants to be on her own let her." Marie was spitting her words.

He would like to say he felt better when he left, but he didn't. He went to work at Mario's. He would need the job to pay a lawyer that he never wanted.

When he returned home at midnight, he was tired, but couldn't sleep. Luckily he avoided seeing his mother. He couldn't stop thinking those papers shattered his hopes and dreams. For the first time, he swapped his unending love for Megan to feelings of hate. He felt hate for her similar to what he felt for Harmony. Both of them had screwed him - each in their own way.

He asked for an afternoon off for personal reasons. Being a new employee, he had no right to the time. Leo asked if he was alright, and he told him the truth. Leo reminded him of all the extra hours he had already worked and told him to take all the time he needed. He looked at him with sincerity. "I'm sorry. I can tell this was not what you wanted."

Peter turned stoic. "I won't let this affect my work."

On the afternoon of his appointment with the attorney Ed had recommended, he went to see his children first. They gave him strength as he felt their love. Both were saying "dada" to him. He suspected that Sarah was helping with that, because they wouldn't be learning how to address him at home.

He drove into Portland, parked in the garage and took the elevator to the eighth floor. He was meeting Denise Bloom. She was well over fifty and classy looking. She had a warm handshake and offered him coffee, soda or water. He accepted a bottle of Poland Springs, because his throat was already dry and he hadn't started talking.

He showed her the documents he received, and she looked them over. When she looked up at him, she said, "Candace Ritter is tough, but I am too. It tells me something when your father-in-law referred me. I assume he doesn't share his daughter's feelings towards you."

"No, Ed and his wife have been supportive. They help me see my kids."

"You might as well tell me the truth about what happened, because these things have a way of coming out."

Peter told her the whole story, including how it began in high school.

"So this woman has been harassing your wife since high school and she doesn't believe you?"

Peter heard himself making excuses for Megan, but Denise stopped him. "We can try to get her to agree to marriage counseling, but if her mind is set it may not work. What is most important to you? What do you want out of this divorce?"

Peter answered honestly. "Besides no divorce at all, I want to see Nick and Sophie. I can't imagine not seeing them. I go to their daycare on my lunch most every day."

"It won't be fun, but I'll do my best to take care of you. If you want me, that is." Peter nodded, and she continued. "I'll let opposing counsel know I am representing you. I have forms for you to complete. Most are financial, send them back and we can go from there." She stood and extended her hand. "I'm sorry we've had to meet under these circumstances."

Peter went home - home meaning the apartment where he grew up, not his home. He surprised his mother since he typically was still working when she went off to her evening office cleaning job.

"You're home early. Are you alright?"

"Is anything ever alright? I met with the lawyer."

"Oh. Maybe things will work out."

"Why didn't you ever go to a lawyer?" He felt as if he'd earned the right to ask those questions.

"Because the church frowns on divorce."

"But you could have got support for yourself, for us."

"Peter, you know as well as I do, you can't get blood from a stone."

Peter thought about his father the deadbeat dad and refused to be like him. He would support his children. He would make their mother's life easier too, because he wanted them to never feel for him the ways he had felt for his father. He had felt anger, disgust, and pity. He wanted his children to feel love above all from him, unquestionable love.

He spent the evening completing the forms and in the morning he faxed them to Denise. He should have dragged his feet, but Megan seemed determined, and he was powerless to stop her. Maybe the reality of what she was doing would make her come around.

The following Saturday, it was Ed that brought the twins from Megan. Every week he was afraid that he would arrive to find out she had changed her mind about allowing him to see them.

After Ed brought them back home for their naps, he asked about his meeting.

"I liked her, but I still didn't want to be there."

Marie said, "You need to face up to it. She's not changing her mind. She's acting like a bah..."

Ed interrupted her. "Marie! She's still your daughter."

"Well, I want nothing to do with her. She is acting like a baby and refusing to face her problems as an adult. I told her I would never forgive her if she went through with this divorce. It's not fair to you, Peter, the babies or her."

Peter said, "Marie, I don't want this to ruin your relationship with her. Enough's been ruined already."

"It's too late for that. The damage is done," Marie said. Ed looked sad.

"I will fight for the twins. I want to see them as much as I possibly can."

"You know you can have them here. It will be the only way, I will see them."

Peter hated that Megan had lost her mother too. Why did he feel responsible? He had lost his wife and his best friend and based on what Marie said she was not changing her mind. He had to face reality, but was unsure how.