Chapter 6 - The Custody File
I looked at Daniel.
The affair suddenly seemed almost small.
Painful.
Humiliating.
But small compared with what I was hearing now.
“You planned to take Lily?”
He shook his head.
“No.”
Chloe answered for him.
“Yes.”
Daniel spun toward her.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She pulled a folded document from her purse.
“I know exactly what you told me.”
She handed it to David.
He opened it.
His expression hardened.
“What is it?” I asked.
“A draft custody petition.”
The words hit harder than I expected.
David scanned the first page.
“It alleges postpartum instability, unpredictable behavior, emotional volatility, and financial irresponsibility.”
I laughed.
I could not help it.
“Financial irresponsibility?”
Daniel had drained our savings.
Sent money to Chloe.
Taken money from his father.
Rented another house.
And I was the financially irresponsible one.
David turned another page.
His eyes stopped.
“Jennifer.”
“What?”
He did not answer immediately.
Then he handed me the document.
There was a list.
Dates.
Times.
Incidents.
March 12 — Jennifer cried for approximately twenty minutes after argument regarding feeding schedule.
March 19 — Jennifer stated she had not slept properly in four days.
March 28 — Jennifer became angry when Daniel arrived home late.
April 3 — Jennifer refused visitors and isolated with infant.
My hands started shaking.
Those were not dangerous incidents.
They were normal moments from the hardest weeks of my life.
Daniel had turned them into evidence.
“You documented me.”
“I was worried.”
“No.”
I looked up.
“You were collecting ammunition.”
He softened his voice.
“Jennifer, you were struggling.”
“I had a newborn.”
“Exactly.”
The contempt behind that single word made something inside me settle.
For months, I had wondered whether some part of Daniel still loved me.
Now I stopped wondering.
David pointed at the signature line.
“This draft was prepared by an attorney.”
Daniel said nothing.
David studied the letterhead.
Then his face changed.
“Caleb Morton?”
Robert reacted immediately.
“You used Caleb?”
I looked between them.
“Who is Caleb?”
Robert answered.
“Our company attorney.”
Silence.
Daniel had not merely used his father’s money.
He had used his father’s attorney to prepare a custody attack against me.
Robert’s face darkened.
“Caleb knows Jennifer.”
Daniel finally spoke.
“He knows the family.”
“That is precisely the problem.”
Robert pulled out his phone again.
Daniel moved toward him.
“Dad, do not call him.”
Robert ignored him.
The call connected.
“Caleb.”
He put the phone on speaker.
The lawyer answered cheerfully.
“Robert, I’m actually glad you called.”
Robert’s voice was controlled.
“Did you draft custody papers for Daniel?”
There was a long silence.
Then Caleb said, “Where are you?”
“At Lily’s baptism.”
Another silence.
And then Caleb said something none of us expected.
“Robert, get Jennifer and the baby out of there.”
Daniel’s face went white.
Robert stared at the phone.
“Why?”
Caleb lowered his voice.
May you like
“Because Daniel wasn’t the only person who asked me to prepare those papers.”
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