Chapter 5 - Cracks in the Foundation
"You heard me!" Lauren snapped, digging her heels in, refusing to back down. "Ever since we got married, it’s been 'Sarah this, Sarah that'! Noah keeps her picture on his nightstand! He refuses to call me Mom! He acts like I'm an intruder in my own home! I wanted one vacation—one vacation—where we were a real, normal family without the ghost of your ex-wife hanging over us!"
I stepped out onto the threshold, closing the door behind me so Noah wouldn't have to hear another word of her poison.
"Sarah was his mother," I said, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "She died of cancer, Lauren. She didn't abandon him. You tried to erase her because your ego is so fragile that you can't handle a child loving his deceased mother."
"Mom, please..." Daniel choked out, tears finally streaming down his cheeks.
"No, Daniel," I said firmly. "You don't get to ask for sympathy. You sacrificed your own son's safety and psychological well-being to keep peace with a woman who despises his very existence."
Lauren grabbed Daniel's arm tightly. "Daniel, come on. We're leaving. We'll let the lawyers handle this crazy old woman. She has no right to keep your son from you."
"Actually, she does," a voice spoke up from down the hallway.
Marcus Vance stepped out of the elevator, holding a leather briefcase. Beside him was a woman in a dark suit holding a clipboard—a representative from Child Protective Services.
"Mr. and Mrs. Harper," Marcus said smoothly. "I am Marcus Vance, legal counsel for Evelyn Harper. This is Ms. Reynolds from Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services."
Lauren’s face drained of all color. "What is this?"
"This," Ms. Reynolds said, stepping forward, "is an official notification. Due to the police report filed at Cleveland Hopkins Airport and the pending investigation for child endangerment, an emergency ex-parte order has been issued by Judge Miller. Temporary physical and legal custody of Noah Harper has been granted to Evelyn Harper."
"You can't do that!" Lauren shouted. "He’s his father!"
"And his father left him unattended in a public airport," Ms. Reynolds replied impassively. "Mr. Harper, you are ordered not to attempt contact with the child until a formal hearing takes place on Friday. If you attempt to force your way into this apartment, you will be arrested for trespassing and violation of a court order."
Daniel looked at Ms. Reynolds, then at Marcus, and finally at me. He looked broken, defeated, and utterly stripped of his illusions.
"Mom..." Daniel rasped, his voice barely audible. "Can I just see him? Just for a second? I want to tell him I'm sorry."
May you like
I looked at my son. The boy I had raised, who had lost his way so terribly.
"No, Daniel," I said softly. "You don't get to apologize until you understand what you're actually apologizing for. Go home."
