Chapter 6: The Custody War Begins
The next morning, I sat across from my attorney with a folder full of documents between us.
I barely slept.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Emily holding that suitcase.
I saw her asking if she was the reason the wedding ended.
Children should worry about homework.
They should worry about losing a game.
They should not worry about whether the person marrying their parent wants them gone.
My attorney, Mark, adjusted his glasses.
“Daniel, I need you to stay calm.””
“I’m calm.””
He looked at me.
“You haven’t stopped tapping your foot for twenty minutes.””
I looked down.
He was right.
I forced myself to stop.
“What exactly did she file?””
Mark opened the folder.
“She claims you are emotionally unstable.””
I almost laughed.
“Because I stopped a wedding?””
“Because of your reaction after discovering the documents.””
I stared at him.
“She planned to send my daughter away.””
“I know.””
“Then how can she make me look unstable?””
Mark sighed.
“Because she prepared before today.””
He pushed another document toward me.
“She has been collecting statements.””
I read the names.
Neighbors.
A teacher.
A counselor.
People I knew.
“She talked to them?””
“She framed the situation differently.””
My hands tightened.
“What did she say?””
Mark looked uncomfortable.
“She said Emily has been struggling since Sarah’s death. She said you refuse to accept that your daughter needs more support.””
I closed my eyes.
It was clever.
That was the terrifying part.
Rebecca wasn’t telling obvious lies.
She was twisting pieces of the truth.
She knew Emily missed her mother.
She knew I worried about her.
She turned my love into evidence against me.
“What happens now?””
Mark folded his hands.
“There will be a hearing.””
“When?””
“Tomorrow.””
That fast.
I stood up.
“No.””
Mark looked at me.
“What?””
“I need to see my daughter.””
“You can.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“I need to make sure she knows she’s safe.””
When I got home, Emily was sitting at the kitchen table drawing.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
Then I noticed what she was drawing.
A family.
A little girl.
A father.
And a woman standing far away.
I sat beside her.
“Who is that?””
Emily shrugged.
“I don’t know.””
My heart hurt.
“You can tell me.””
She looked at the paper.
“I thought Rebecca was going to be my new mom.””
I didn’t know what to say.
Because I had thought the same thing.
“I’m sorry.””
She looked at me.
“Did I do something wrong?””
“No.””
“Then why didn’t she want me?””
I reached for her hand.
“Some people want a family, but they don’t understand that love isn’t something you can pick and choose.””
Emily was quiet.
Then she asked:
“Are they going to take me?””
The question destroyed me.
“No.””
“But what if they do?””
I held her.
“Then I fight.””
That night, I searched through every memory I had with Rebecca.
Every message.
Every conversation.
Every moment that seemed strange.
At 2:13 a.m., I found something.
A deleted email.
Recovered from an old backup.
The sender was Rebecca.
The subject line was:
“After Daniel signs the marriage certificate.””
My hands shook as I opened it.
The first sentence made my blood freeze.
“Once I legally become his wife, removing Emily will be much easier.””
I kept reading.
And then I saw the name of the person she had been working with.
Someone I knew.
Someone who had been at my wedding.
Someone who had smiled at Emily while secretly helping Rebecca.
I looked at the screen.
And whispered one name:
May you like
“Claire.””
Because the person I trusted most was the person Rebecca had been talking to all along.
