Chapter 14
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The county lockup was a brutal, terrifying reality check for a man accustomed to luxury. Julian spent his first three days confined to a tiny, concrete cell that smelled of stale sweat and bleach. The food was inedible, the constant noise of shouting inmates was deafening, and the fluorescent lights never fully turned off. His arrogance was completely stripped away, leaving only a hollow, terrified shell of a man.
On the fourth day, a heavy-set guard banged a metal baton against Julian’s cell bars.
"Vance," the guard grunted. "You got a visitor. Get up."
Julian’s heart leaped. He desperately hoped it was a rogue lawyer willing to take his case pro bono, or perhaps a sympathetic business associate. He was led down a long, bleak corridor to a sterile visitation room divided by thick, bulletproof glass.
Sitting on the other side of the glass, looking radiant and powerful, was Karen.
Julian picked up the heavy plastic telephone receiver on the wall, his hands shaking violently.
"Karen," Julian gasped, tears immediately springing to his eyes. "Please. Please help me. This place is hell. I'll do anything. I'll sign whatever you want. Just tell Sterling to lower the bail. I can't survive in here."
Karen picked up her receiver, her face completely impassive. She didn't look angry; she looked entirely indifferent, which hurt him far more than any screaming match ever could.
"I didn't come here to negotiate your bail, Julian," Karen said smoothly, her voice clear and authoritative through the speaker. "I came here to deliver a message."
She reached into her designer briefcase and pulled out a thick stack of crisp, legal documents, sliding them into the small metal transfer slot beneath the glass.
Julian picked them up. The bold, black letters on the front page read: Petition for Absolute Dissolution of Marriage and Sole Custody Decree.
"I filed the divorce papers this morning," Karen informed him coldly. "I am citing extreme financial abuse and felony endangerment. The judge has already granted an emergency order completely stripping you of all parental rights regarding Lily. You will never, ever see my daughter again."
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"You can't take her from me!" Julian sobbed, pressing his forehead against the thick, cold glass. "She's my blood!"
"She is my daughter," Karen corrected fiercely. "And you are nothing but a cautionary tale she will read about in the newspapers. Sign the papers, Julian. Or I will have my lawyers drag out the proceedings until you die in this concrete box."
