Chapter 5 LEGAL HELL

The poor fluorescent lights in the lawyer's office flickered like they couldn't make up their mind. With her fists clutched so firmly in her lap that her knuckles throbbed, Elena sat in a stiff-backed chair that smelled vaguely of dust and lemon-scented cleanser. The buzzing above matched the quiet hum of fear in her chest.

Across from her sat Marie Jordan. Her former college roommate turned high-powered family attorney. Flipping through the stack of paperwork with a deepening frown. The kind of frown that told Elena she wasn't going to enjoy what came next.

Marie inhaled sharply and set the packet down. "He's not bluffing," she remarked, tapping the top page with one manicured finger. "He's filed an emergency custody petition with the family court."

Elena's stomach turned. "What does that mean? Is he attempting to take Lily from me?"

Marie hesitated, and her hesitation said everything.

"It means," She explained gently, "he's asking the court to grant him full legal custody based on the original surrogacy contract. He's alleging you breached it by taking Lily and disappearing after the birth."

"I didn't disappear," Elena muttered. "I didn't even know she was alive. Not for months. I was in shock. I was recovering. They told me she'd die within days. They let me depart with her."

"I believe you," Marie responded, her tone softening. "But proving that is going to be hard. Especially without a paper trail. There's no official record confirming the hospital told you one twin had died. No discharge papers mentioning a second baby. No release forms. Nothing."

"They never gave me anything," Elena replied, her voice shaking. "I was nineteen. I had no money, no lawyer, and no family. They treated me like I didn't matter. They instructed me to go. They acted like she was going to die anyway." Her eyes shimmered. "I did what I had to do."

Marie's expression stiffened. "We're going to fight this. But you have to realize, Elena, this man has a legal contract. He has money. He has an established residence, a high-profile career, a staff of lawyers already working for him."

Elena stared down at her shaking hands. "And all I have is the truth."

"Which might be enough," Marie remarked. "If we can prove the agency misled you both. You mentioned someone in the hospital. A friend?"

"Kendall," Elena said hastily. "He was a nurse in the maternity wing. He saw how horrible things were. He was present after the delivery. He stayed with me. He might recall something. Maybe he saw something."

"Good. We'll talk to him. We'll track down anyone who was working that night. Anyone who can attest that you weren't told the truth."

Before Elena could react, a knock heard on the door. Marie up and strolled outside for a moment, returning with a sealed packet.

She handed it to Elena with the type of caution you'd use when handing someone a grenade.

"What now?" Elena asked, voice small.

Marie didn't answer. She only nodded at the envelope.

Elena opened it with shaking fingers, her chest tightening with every page she unfolded. It was another legal notice. Stamped, stapled, and heartbreaking.

Marie's voice broke the silence. "It's a thirty-day co-parenting trial. Ordered by the court."

Elena blinked. "What?"

"They're not taking Lily away from you," Marie responded swiftly. "The court wants to evaluate both parties before granting a custody decision. They're ordering a temporary setup. You and Damian will co-parent for thirty days."

Elena's breath hitched. "In his house?"

Marie nodded. "Supervised. At his residence. The judge believes it's the greatest way to monitor both of you with the children to establish what's in their long-term best interest."

"I can't just move into a stranger's house," Elena yelled, rising from her chair. "He's suing me. He's threatening me. He doesn't believe anything I say. And Lily, she won't understand. Her whole universe is here. Her toys. Her regimen. Her doctors."

"I know," Marie answered gently, "but if you refuse, the court could interpret it as being uncooperative. And Damian will use it against you."

Elena pressed her hands to her face. "This is insane. How did this happen so fast?"

"He's powerful," Marie replied. "And determined. He pushed this through expedited routes. But it's not permanent. It's a trial."

A stillness descended between them, thick and gloomy. Elena stared blankly at the documents. Words distorted into meaningless lines. She couldn't breathe around the lump in her throat.

But below the fear, something flared. Something calm and menacing.

She wanted to see Caleb again.

She wanted to see them together. Her children, twins, side by side the way they were meant to be. She loathed herself for it, but the concept kindled something achingly human.

She wanted to know what may have been.

That night, Elena stood in the doorway of her apartment, Lily curled on her hip, a single cardboard box at her feet. Lily's beloved plush elephant popped out of the top of her tiny pink bag, its ear damaged and mended.

The hallway was silent save for the faint rumble of a black SUV idling at the curb outside.

Her chest was a maelstrom.

The elevator dinged.

Damian stepped out, escorted by a man in a blue suit with a clipboard and a moving checklist.

Elena narrowed her gaze. "This is absurd," she said beneath her breath.

Damian didn't greet her. He didn't ask how she was or offer help with the box. He simply handed her a sealed manila envelope.

"Court order," he added, his tone harsh.

"I understand," she yelled back, snuggling Lily higher against her chest.

Lily glanced over Elena's shoulder, wide-eyed. Her voice was gentle. "Hello."

Damian's face altered, almost imperceptibly. "Hello, Lily," he murmured quietly.

She buried her face in Elena's neck, her small fingers fisting in her blouse.

As the movers began to bring boxes down the corridor, Elena turned to face him. "She has a strict schedule. Bedtime at seven. She requires her cardiac medicines at eight in the morning and again before bed. She gets weary easily. No chaos. No disruption."

"She'll be fine," he said.

"She isn't like Caleb," Elena pressed, her voice harsh with warning.

His jaw stiffened. "I know how to care for children."

"She's not just any child," she replied, her voice shaking. "She's mine."

He didn't answer.

Didn't argue.

Didn't comfort.

He turned and strode back to the elevator, his steps crisp, shoulders squared, stance perfect like this was just another deal. Another deal.

But it wasn't.

It was her daughter.

Their daughter.

And thus started the longest thirty days of Elena's life.