Chapter 13 - The Overwhelming Hearing|
Three weeks later, we entered Family Court. The atmosphere was thick enough to cut with a knife.
Brandon showed up in a sharp suit, acting haggard and heartbroken. He deliberately played the role of a father stripped of his rights, continually looking at Emily with fake, watery eyes. Patricia sat behind him, glaring at me as if she wanted to devour me alive.
Brandon’s lawyer began a tear-jerking defense.
“Your Honor, my client may have made mistakes in his marriage, but he has full capacity and love to share custody of baby Lily. The plaintiff's deliberate act of changing the child's last name is a cruel act of vengeance, stripping away sacred paternal rights.”
The judge adjusted his glasses and turned to our attorney, Mr. Harrison.
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“Does the defense have a response?”
Mr. Harrison calmly stood up and turned on the courtroom projector screen.
“Your Honor, paternal rights are only sacred when the father doesn't view the child as an extortion tool.”
On the screen appeared bank statements and encrypted text messages.
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“These are documents proving that Ms. Patricia Vale and Mr. Brandon Vale planned this from the start. They deliberately borrowed two million dollars in high-interest loans, and in a text message to the loan shark, Brandon wrote clearly: ‘Relax, my wife is about to give birth. The moment the baby arrives, the 10-million-dollar trust fund opens, and I’ll pay back principal and interest.’”
The courtroom erupted into murmurs. Brandon’s face drained of color. He looked over at his mother in absolute panic.
