Chapter 9 - The Husband Who Was Finally Forced To Choose
For several seconds, I couldn’t understand what Nathan said.
“Me?”
I repeated.
“She chose you?”
Nathan nodded slowly.
“She wanted me to have custody.”
My hands tightened.
“So this entire time…”
I looked at my son.
“She wasn’t trying to take him for herself.”
Nathan looked miserable.
“No.”
“She was trying to make me take him.”
The realization was worse.
Because Doreen wasn’t only controlling the situation.
She was controlling Nathan.
She wanted him trapped.
She wanted him dependent.
She wanted him to believe he had no choice.
“Why would she do that?”
Nathan sat down.
“Because she believes the Carver family belongs to her.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“It does to her.”
He looked at the floor.
“My entire life, she told me I was weak.”
“That I needed her.”
“That without her, I would fail.”
My anger softened slightly.
But only slightly.
Because pain did not erase betrayal.
“She used you.”
Nathan nodded.
“Yes.”
“And you let her.”
His eyes filled with regret.
“Yes.”
The next morning, Detective Wells returned.
She had more information.
“We found financial records.”
“For Doreen?”
“Yes.”
She placed documents on the table.
“She paid several consultants over the past decade.”
“For what?”
Detective Wells looked at me.
“Family custody cases.”
My stomach turned.
“How many?”
“Three confirmed.”
“And Claire?”
“Yes.”
“And me?”
Detective Wells nodded.
“Your case was supposed to be the fourth.”
The room became silent.
Four women.
Four families.
Four attempts to control mothers.
I looked at Nathan.
“Your mother does this whenever someone threatens her control.”
Nathan whispered,
“I know.”
Detective Wells looked at him.
“Mr. Carver.”
Nathan looked up.
“You need to understand something.”
“What?”
“You are not just a witness.”
Nathan frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“You signed documents.”
His face changed.
Detective Wells continued.
“Your name appears on several legal preparations.”
Nathan looked shocked.
“I never signed anything.”
Detective Wells handed him the papers.
He read them.
Then his face went pale.
“That’s not my signature.”
My heart stopped.
“What?”
Nathan looked at me.
“Leah.”
“I swear.”
“I never signed this.”
Detective Wells studied the document.
“That means someone forged your signature.”
Suddenly, everything changed.
Because Doreen was not just manipulating people.
She was creating evidence.
And if she could fake Nathan’s signature…
She could fake anything.
That afternoon, I finally saw Doreen.
She stood outside my hospital room.
Perfect hair.
Perfect makeup.
Perfect smile.
Like she wasn’t being investigated.
Like she owned the entire building.
“Leah.”
I looked at her.
“What do you want?”
She smiled.
“I want my family back.”
I almost laughed.
“Family?”
She looked at my baby.
“Our family.”
I stepped in front of the bassinet.
“No.”
Her smile disappeared.
“You’re emotional.”
“There it is.”
“What?”
“The word you always use.”
I stepped closer.
“You want everyone to believe I’m unstable.”
Doreen tilted her head.
“You are making this difficult.”
“No.”
I looked directly into her eyes.
“You are losing control.”
For the first time…
her expression changed.
Only for a second.
But I saw it.
Fear.
Then she whispered,
“You have no idea who you are fighting.”
I answered,
“No.”
I looked at my son.
“But I know exactly what I’m fighting for.”
Doreen turned to leave.
Then stopped.
Without looking back, she said,
“Ask your husband what happened the last time someone tried to leave me.”
The hallway went silent.
May you like
And I knew…
the biggest secret of the Carver family had not been revealed yet.
