Chapter 12 - Desperate Retaliation
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Stripped of their dignity and their funds, Margaret and Ethan retreated to Margaret’s modest suburban house—the very house where they had trapped me weeks prior.
Two days later, my attorney called me with an urgent update.
"Lena, Margaret’s civil attorney just filed an emergency petition with the family court," Marcus informed me.
I frowned, setting down my teacup. "A petition for what?"
"They are seeking pre-natal custody intervention and court-ordered psychological evaluation for you," Marcus said, his voice laced with annoyance. "They filed a sworn affidavit claiming you suffer from severe pregnancy-induced psychosis, alleging that you are an unfit mother who is intentionally harming the unborn child by keeping it away from its father."
I let out a long, incredulous sigh. "They really won't stop, will they?"
"It’s a classic play by cornered manipulators," Marcus explained. "They think if they can establish a paper trail of alleged 'mental instability' now, they can force you into a joint-custody agreement after the baby is born, which would allow them to claim child support payments from your estate."
"When is the hearing?" I asked, my voice turning icy cold.
"Tomorrow morning at nine," Marcus said. "And Lena... Margaret hired a notorious tabloid media consultant. She’s planning to turn the courthouse steps into a media spectacle to shame you publicly."
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I rubbed my four-month pregnant belly, feeling a faint, gentle flutter inside—the baby’s very first light kicks.
"Let her bring the cameras, Marcus," I said softly. "Because tomorrow, we aren't just defending my sanity. We are ending their freedom."
