The Divorce Characters

A former physician who gave up her medical practice to be a stay-at-home mother to Teddy. She initially appears to be a wronged wife fighting for her marriage, but she is revealed to be the woman who stole Ronnie's infant son, faked a paternity test, and raised the boy as her own.

Arc: She moves from trusting wife to suspicious, increasingly desperate defendant in a divorce and custody battle. After losing control, she assaults Veronica, kills Ezra, and starts the fire that ultimately kills her.

• Jeremy Roth — her estranged husband
• Teddy Roth — the son she raised, actually stolen from Veronica
• Veronica 'Ronnie' Chesson — her captive and Teddy's birth mother
• Ezra Fletcher — her divorce lawyer
• Cora Janzen — her friend and confidante during the divorce
• Lorraine Paxson — her mother, who helps her fabricate Teddy's identity

Naomi's wealthy investment-banker husband who abruptly asks for a divorce and fights for sole custody of Teddy. He presents himself as a reasonable husband, but the epilogue reveals he knew Teddy was not his biological son, killed Clay, planted evidence against Naomi, and poisoned her kombucha.

Arc: He initiates the divorce while secretly manipulating the custody battle and Naomi's downfall. He ends the story free of Naomi, planning a new life with Ronnie and vowing to destroy anyone who tries to take Teddy.

• Naomi Roth — his wife, then ex-wife
• Teddy Roth — the son he refuses to give up
• Veronica 'Ronnie' Chesson — his lover and future partner
• Clay Barkley — Teddy's biological father, whom he gets rid of
• Leonard Hardwick — his lawyer
• Rosita — his household employee, used in his scheme against Naomi

A young woman with a troubled past who lost her infant son Dominic and spent years searching for him. She becomes involved with Jeremy as Ronnie, discovers that Teddy is her biological son, and ultimately rescues him from the fire Naomi set.

Arc: After years of grief, addiction, and staying clean for the son she lost, she closes in on Teddy and confirms with a DNA test that he is hers. She saves him from the burning house and resolves to reveal the truth while keeping Jeremy in Teddy's life.

• Jeremy Roth — her lover, later partner
• Naomi Roth — the woman who stole her son
• Teddy Roth — her biological son, formerly called Dominic
• Clay Barkley — her former fiancé and Dominic's father
• Lola — her best friend
• Ezra Fletcher — the man who frees her and dies saving her

A young boy, also called Theodore, who is at the center of the divorce and custody dispute. He is Naomi's beloved son, but he is actually Ronnie's kidnapped baby Dominic.

Arc: He remains an innocent child caught between the adults, trusting them and trying to make sense of the separation. He is rescued from the burning house by Ronnie and is finally reunited with his birth mother while keeping Jeremy as his dad.

• Naomi Roth — the mother he knows
• Jeremy Roth — the father he adores
• Veronica 'Ronnie' Chesson — his biological mother
• Clay Barkley — his biological father
• Rosita — his babysitter

Naomi's divorce lawyer, a rumpled but confident attorney who becomes her romantic interest. He later discovers the truth about Naomi and sacrifices himself to free Veronica and save Teddy.

Arc: He moves from defending Naomi to realizing she is dangerous, then acts against her to protect Veronica and Teddy. He survives being pushed down the stairs, knocks Naomi out, and cuts Veronica free before the fire consumes him.

• Naomi Roth — his client, whom he ultimately opposes
• Stefanie Gorman — his ex-wife
• Veronica 'Ronnie' Chesson — the woman he saves
• Jeremy Roth — the opposing party in the divorce

A school mother who is ostracized by other parents and becomes Naomi's friend and divorce confidante. She offers blunt advice, helps investigate Veronica's license plate, and later attends Teddy's party, causing a rift with Naomi.

Arc: She supports Naomi during the early divorce but is later seen at Teddy's party, making Naomi feel betrayed. Her role highlights the social isolation and shifting alliances around the divorce.

• Naomi Roth — her friend, later estranged
• Zack — her son
• Veronica 'Ronnie' Chesson — the woman Naomi asks her to investigate

Ronnie's best friend who helps deliver Dominic and gives Ronnie the lead about a false birth certificate for Teddy. She later texts Ronnie about the pregnancy test and urges her to go to the police.

Arc: She remains a loyal presence across Ronnie's years of loss and is the one who points Ronnie toward the truth that Teddy is Dominic.

• Veronica 'Ronnie' Chesson — her best friend
• Teddy Roth — her godson, though she knows him as Dominic
• Naomi Roth — the person she suspects of taking Dominic

Ronnie's boyfriend and fiancé, and the biological father of Dominic. A drug addict, his relapse while watching baby Dominic leads to the infant vanishing from a car.

Arc: He is present at Dominic's birth but destroys the family through his drug use. He later dies of an overdose, and Jeremy secretly ensures he never takes Teddy back.

• Veronica 'Ronnie' Chesson — his former fiancée
• Teddy Roth — his biological son, called Dominic
• Jeremy Roth — the man who gets rid of him

The household employee who takes Teddy to school and cares for him. She is loyal to Jeremy and later closes the door in Naomi's face, and Jeremy reveals he hired her as part of his plan to make Naomi look unreliable.

Arc: She does not change significantly; she stays in Jeremy's employ and avoids involvement in the custody fight.

• Naomi Roth — her former employer
• Jeremy Roth — her employer
• Teddy Roth — the child she looks after

A divorce lawyer Naomi consults, but she cannot represent Naomi because Jeremy has already retained her. She refers Naomi to Ezra and is later revealed to be Ezra's ex-wife.

Arc: She does not have a personal arc; she serves as a referral and source of information for Naomi.

• Naomi Roth — prospective client she cannot take
• Jeremy Roth — client who blocked her from helping Naomi
• Ezra Fletcher — her ex-husband

Jeremy's lawyer, who sends Naomi threatening letters and represents Jeremy in mediation and custody negotiations. He is often caught off guard by Ezra's tactics.

Arc: He has no personal arc; he functions as Jeremy's legal instrument.

• Jeremy Roth — his client
• Naomi Roth — the opposing party
• Ezra Fletcher — his opposing counsel

One of Naomi's two best friends at Teddy's school, with whom she gossips about other parents. She distances herself from Naomi after Naomi is publicly served with divorce papers.

Arc: She has no personal arc; she abandons Naomi at the moment of public humiliation.

• Naomi Roth — her friend
• Cheryl — her fellow best friend
• Jax — her son

One of Naomi's two best friends at Teddy's school. She joins Ashlyn in gossip and is eager to distance herself from Naomi after the divorce papers are served.

Arc: She has no personal arc; she drops Naomi socially.

• Naomi Roth — her friend
• Ashlyn — her fellow best friend

The mediator who runs the divorce and custody mediation sessions. She rebukes Jeremy for bad-faith behavior and calls his offer of money inappropriate.

Arc: She has no personal arc; she serves as an impartial arbiter.

• Naomi Roth — mediation participant
• Jeremy Roth — mediation participant

Naomi's mother, a woman who claims psychic intuition and has been married and divorced three times. She helps Naomi get a birth certificate for the stolen baby and later advises Naomi to get rid of Veronica.

Arc: She does not change; she enables the kidnapping and keeps advising Naomi until she can no longer fix things for her.

• Naomi Roth — her daughter
• Teddy Roth — the grandson she helped Naomi claim
• Jeremy Roth — her son-in-law

Jeremy's elderly father, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease and lives with his wife. Naomi swabs his cheek and submits it as the paternity sample, tricking Jeremy into believing Teddy is his.

Arc: He has no arc; he is an unwitting pawn in Naomi's paternity fraud.

• Jeremy Roth — his son
• Marti Roth — his wife
• Naomi Roth — his daughter-in-law

Jeremy's late mother, whose dusty apartment Naomi is sent to clean at the start of the divorce. Her belongings remain untouched a year after her death.

Arc: She is dead before the story begins and appears only through memory and her preserved apartment.

• Jeremy Roth — her son
• Naomi Roth — her daughter-in-law

The wealthy CEO whose household Ronnie works in as live-in help. He is the man Veronica was accused of pursuing while working for his family.

Arc: He has no arc; he is part of Ronnie's backstory and Naomi's investigation.

• Rhona Simington — his wife
• Veronica 'Ronnie' Chesson — his former employee
• Kathy — his housekeeper

Maxim's wife, who is part of the Simington household where Ronnie works. In Ronnie's own account, she is kind to her and later tears up when Ronnie resigns, though gossip paints her as a woman who threw Veronica out.

Arc: She has no significant arc; she appears in Ronnie's workplace backstory.

• Maxim Simington — her husband
• Veronica 'Ronnie' Chesson — her employee
• Kathy — her housekeeper

The Simington housekeeper who resents Ronnie over a kitchen mess and tells Rhona that Ronnie flirts with Maxim. She is eager to criticize Ronnie to anyone who asks.

Arc: She has no arc; she functions as a workplace antagonist in Ronnie's backstory.

• Veronica 'Ronnie' Chesson — her coworker whom she resents
• Maxim Simington — her employer
• Rhona Simington — her employer's wife

Another excellent local divorce lawyer whom Jeremy has already retained, making her unable to represent Naomi. She appears only through Stefanie's referral call.

Arc: She has no arc; she is an unavailable legal option.

• Jeremy Roth — client who retained her
• Stefanie Gorman — the colleague who calls about Naomi

The skeptical police officer who responds when Ronnie reports Dominic missing. He focuses on the lack of a birth certificate and Clay's drug use, arrests Clay, and never finds the baby.

Arc: He has no arc; his disbelief forces Ronnie to search for Dominic on her own.

• Veronica 'Ronnie' Chesson — the mother reporting her missing baby
• Clay Barkley — the father he arrests
• Teddy Roth — the missing baby, known to him as Dominic

Cora's young son and Teddy's classmate. He tells Teddy that when parents don't live together, the child gets a horse.

Arc: He has no arc; he appears as a child in the school and playground subplots.

• Cora Janzen — his mother
• Teddy Roth — his friend and classmate

Ashlyn's son, whose short lunch period triggers the school petition discussion. Teddy hopes to have a playdate with him, but Ashlyn pulls him away after Naomi's public humiliation.

Arc: He has no arc; he appears only in the school subplot.

• Ashlyn — his mother
• Teddy Roth — his prospective playmate