I stayed in the kitchen long after they left, staring at the wall, my mind reeling.
None of it was real. None of my life was real.
I was nothing more than a vessel. A pawn.
And Jacob… my sweet, precious boy… they intended to keep him. To raise him with that woman.
I would die before I let that happen.
The lawyer arrived an hour later.
He walked in with a briefcase, polite and professional. He had no idea what kind of people he was working for.
David and Maria sat on one side of the table. I sat on the other.
The lawyer slid papers toward me.
“Termination of Rights,” he said. “Sign, and you waive all custody, all visitation, all claims.”
I looked at David.
“And if I don’t sign?”
David nodded toward the window.
“Then we go to court. We tell the judge you are unstable. Dangerous. That you injured Jacob yourself.”
My eyes widened.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Maria will testify,” David said. “The neighbors will testify. We have… prepared statements.”
“Statements you bought,” I said.
“Doesn’t matter,” Maria said. “By the time anyone finds out the truth… you will have lost everything.”
I looked down at the papers.
If I signed, I lost Jacob forever.
If I didn’t sign, they would destroy me in court. And with David’s forged documents… they might actually win.
I picked up the pen.
David and Maria exchanged a look of triumph.
But I didn’t touch the paper.
Instead, I looked up at the lawyer.
“Before I sign anything,” I said, “I want to see the original marriage license. The one between David and Maria. If they were married first… then I need proof.”
David’s face darkened.
“Why?”
“Because,” I said, “if they are already married, then my marriage is invalid. Which means I am not bound by any spousal waivers. Which means half of everything—including whatever my father has already given me—is mine. And you get nothing.”
Maria stood up.
“Don’t answer her,” she snapped.
But it was too late.
The lawyer was already frowning.
“Is this true?” he asked David. “Are you still married to another woman?”
David hesitated.
And in that silence, I saw it.
Fear.
Real fear.
The lawyer started gathering his papers.
“I cannot proceed with this signing,” he said. “Not until these facts are verified.”
He stood up.
“I will return once everything is clear.”
He walked out.
David turned on me, his face twisted with fury.
“You’ve made a very big mistake,” he said.
I stood up slowly.
“I’m not signing anything,” I said. “And I’m not leaving without my son.”
Maria stepped forward, her eyes blazing.
“Then we do this the hard way,” she said.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small glass vial.
My blood ran cold.
“What is that?” I whispered.
Maria smiled—a cold, dead smile.
“Something to make sure no one believes a word you say.”
