His Ex-wife Betrayal

CHAPTER 2

Damien couldn't sleep that night. He sat on the couch until dawn, staring at nothing. 

At six, Emma's alarm chimed. Damien forced himself up and started making breakfast. He made Emma's favorite, pancakes. 

Emma appeared in the doorway, rubbing her eyes. "Is Mommy home yet?"

"Not yet, princess. She'll be at the hospital a bit longer." Damien flipped a pancake. "But I'm here."

They ate together, Emma chattering about an upcoming field trip while Damien nodded at the appropriate moments. His phone kept buzzing with messages from Lisa. He ignored every one.

After dropping Emma at school, Damien sat in his car outside the building. He should deal with this like an adult. So he drove back to the hospital.

Lisa was sitting up in bed, scrolling through her phone when he entered. She looked up, her expression turning to relief.

"Finally. I've been trying to reach you all night."

"I was with Emma." Damien remained by the door. "She told me about Derek."

Lisa's face paled. "Damien, please. Let me explain."

"How long?"

"It's not like that. We're just friends."

Damien laughed bitterly. "Friends don't end up in the hospital with the injuries you have. Friends don't tell my daughter to call them uncle. How long, Lisa?"

Lisa looked away. "Six months."

Six months. Half a year of lies. Damien felt something inside him break completely.

"I want a divorce."

"Don't be ridiculous." Lisa's shock transformed to anger. "You can't afford a divorce. What about Emma? Are you going to let your pride destroy our daughter's stability?"

"My pride?" Damien's voice rose. "You're the one who destroyed this family!"

"Keep your voice down!" Lisa hissed, glancing toward the hallway. "People can hear you."

"I don't care." But Damien lowered his voice anyway. Years of avoiding confrontation were hard to break. "We're done, Lisa. I'll file the papers as soon as I can afford a lawyer."

"You'll never afford one." Lisa's tone turned laughing. "And even if you do, what judge will give you custody? You work sixty hours a week. You can barely keep up with the bills. I'm Emma's mother. I'll get her, the apartment, everything."

"The apartment's in my name."

"The deposit came from my parents. My lawyer will argue I have an equal claim." Lisa smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "Face it, Damien. You can't win this. Just accept it and maybe we can work out something reasonable."

Damien stared at the woman he'd loved for nine years. She'd become a stranger wearing Lisa's face.

"I'll see you in court." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Lisa's voice cracked with desperation. "Don't do this. Think about Emma!"

Damien paused at the door. "I am thinking about Emma. She deserves better than growing up watching her mother's lies."

He left before Lisa could respond. The elevator ride down felt endless. Damien's hands shook as he pressed the lobby button repeatedly, as if that would make it move faster.

Lisa was right about one thing. He couldn't afford this fight. But he couldn't stay and not fight either.

His phone rang, an unknown number again.

"Mr. Webb? This is Johnson & Associates Law Firm. We understand you may need legal representation regarding a divorce."

Damien pulled over, confused. "How did you know that?"

"We can't disclose that information. However, we would like to offer you a free consultation today at two PM, if you're available."

It was probably a scam, but Damien had nothing to lose. "I'll be there."

The law office occupied the fifteenth floor of a downtown building Damien usually avoided. Too expensive. The receptionist directed him to a conference room where a woman in her forties waited, expensive suit, confident smile.

"Mr. Webb, I'm Catherine Torres. Please, sit."

Damien sat, feeling out of place in his rumpled work clothes.

"I'll be direct," Catherine said. "We know about your situation. Your wife's affair, the hospital incident, everything. We want to represent you."

"I can't afford you."

"Our firm sometimes takes pro bono cases that interest us. Yours qualifies." Catherine slid a business card across the table. "We believe you have grounds for full custody and a favorable settlement."

"Why would you help me for free?"

Catherine's smile didn't waver. "Let's just say we don't like it when people abuse the system. Your wife is planning to use her parents' connections to steamroll you. We'd like to prevent that."

Damien wanted to believe her, but years of disappointment had taught him caution. "What's the catch?"

"No catch. Well, one condition. If we win and you receive any settlement, we get thirty percent. If we lose, you pay nothing."

It seemed too good to be true. But Damien was drowning and someone had thrown him a rope.

"Okay."

"Excellent." Catherine pulled out a folder. "Now, let's discuss strategy. First, we need to document everything. Does your wife have any emails, texts, anything that proves the affair?"

Damien shook his head. "She's careful."

"What about the hospital records?"

"She's claiming those injuries could have been from anything. Without proof of the actual affair, it's my word against hers."

Catherine drummed her fingers on the table. "Then we need to find proof. Does this Derek have any connection to your wife's work?"

"I don't know. I don't even know his last name."

"We'll find out." Catherine's confidence was oddly reassuring. "In the meantime, I need you to start documenting everything. Every interaction with your wife, every expense, everything involving Emma. Can you do that?"

Damien nodded, feeling hope for the first time in twenty-four hours.

They spent two hours going over details. When Damien finally left the office, his head spun with legal terminology and strategy, but he felt less helpless.

He picked up Emma from school, took her for pizza, helped with homework. Normal evening routine, except nothing was normal anymore.

"Daddy?" Emma looked up from her math worksheet. "Why aren't you happy?"

Damien forced a smile. "I'm happy, princess. Why would you think I'm not?"

"You have the same face you had when Grandpa died. All sad and far away."

Seven years old and already too perceptive. Damien set down his pen and pulled Emma onto his lap.

"I'm dealing with some grown-up stuff. But I promise you, no matter what happens, I love you more than anything in the world. Okay?"

Emma hugged him tight. "I love you too, Daddy."

That night, after Emma was asleep, Damien's phone buzzed. Not Lisa this time. A text from an unknown number.

"We need to talk. Meet me at Riverside Park tomorrow, noon. Come alone. Derek."

Damien stared at the message. The man who had destroyed his marriage wanted to meet. Rage flooded through him, followed quickly by curiosity. What could Derek possibly have to say?

He showed the text to Catherine Torres via email. Her response came within minutes.

"DO NOT GO. This is likely a trap to provoke you into doing something that could hurt your custody case. Delete the message and ignore any further contact."

Damien knew it was sound legal advice. But the thought of confronting the man who'd been sleeping with his wife, who'd been buying his daughter's affection, was too tempting.

He typed back to Derek: "I'll be there."

Catherine's second email arrived moments later, all caps: "Damien, DO NOT DO THIS."

But Damien was done being cautious. Done being the reasonable one who always backed down. Tomorrow at noon, he would face the man who had stolen his life.

He just had to make it through one more night.