His Ex-wife Betrayal

CHAPTER 3

Morning arrived too quickly. Damien got Emma ready for school, dropped her off, then headed to Riverside Park. He arrived early, parking near the main entrance and scanning the area.

The park was quiet on a Wednesday morning. A few joggers passed by, and an elderly man fed ducks by the pond. Damien walked to the agreed meeting spot, a bench overlooking the water.

At exactly noon, a man approached. Tall, well-dressed in what looked like designer clothes in his confident stride..

"Damien Webb?" The man extended his hand.

Damien ignored it. "What do you want?"

Derek lowered his hand, seemingly unbothered. "To clear the air. Lisa told me you're making this difficult."

"I'm making this difficult?" Damien's voice rose. "You've been sleeping with my wife and you think I'm the problem?"

"Keep your voice down." Derek glanced around. "Look, I understand you're upset. But there's no need for this to get messy."

"It's already messy. You made sure of that."

Derek sighed like Damien was being unreasonable. "Lisa deserves better than what you've given her. She told me how you're never home, how you can't provide the life she wants."

"I work constantly to provide for my family!"

"And what kind of life is that? She's twenty-eight and living in a cramped apartment, shopping at discount stores, worried about every expense." Derek's tone turned condescending. "I can give her what she needs. What she deserves."

Damien's fists clenched. "And my daughter? Where does she fit into your plans?"

"Emma's a sweet kid. I've grown fond of her. Don't worry, we'll make sure she's taken care of."

The casual way Derek discussed taking over Damien's life made his blood boil. "You have no right to—"

"Actually, I have every right. Lisa's choosing me. The sooner you accept that, the easier this will be." Derek pulled out an envelope. "I'm prepared to make this worth your while."

"What's that?"

"Fifty thousand dollars. Sign the divorce papers, agree to Lisa having full custody, and this money's yours. You can start fresh somewhere else."

Damien stared at the envelope. Fifty thousand dollars. More money than he'd ever had at once. Enough to pay off his debts, maybe even start over.

Then he thought of Emma. Of her smile, her laugh, the way she called him Daddy.

"Go to hell."

Derek's friendly mask slipped. "Don't be stupid. You can't win this fight. Lisa's father is Judge Harrison from the district court. You know what that means?"

Damien's stomach dropped. Judge Richard Harrison. One of the most influential judges in the state.

"Lisa's father can make or break careers," Derek continued. "Including lawyers. Who do you think will represent you once they know what they're up against?"

"I already have representation."

Derek laughed. "Catherine Torres? We know all about her little pro bono stunt. Give it a week. Once her firm's partners realize who they're opposing, she'll drop you faster than—"

Damien's punch caught Derek completely off guard. The man stumbled backward, hand flying to his bleeding nose.

"You broke my nose!" Derek's voice turned nasal. "You assaulted me!"

"You ruined my life."

"And now you've made it worse." Derek pulled out his phone, blood dripping on the screen. "I'm calling the police. You just handed us everything we need."

Damien realized his mistake too late. He'd done exactly what Catherine warned against. He allowed Derek to provoke him into violence. Now there would be a police record, witnesses, and proof he was unstable.

"Do it," Damien said anyway. "Call them. Let's see how your relationship with a married woman plays in court."

Derek hesitated, phone still raised. "This isn't over."

"No, it's not." Damien turned and walked away, adrenaline making his legs shaky.

He made it to his car before his phone exploded with notifications. Catherine Torres, calling repeatedly. Damien ignored her, driving aimlessly while his mind raced.

What had he done? In one moment of anger, he'd potentially destroyed any chance at custody. Derek was right. The assault charge would follow him. Judges didn't give custody to violent fathers.

His phone rang again. This time, a number he didn't recognize. Damien almost didn't answer, but something made him pick up.

"Mr. Webb? This is Detective Sarah Jeff. I'm calling about an incident that was reported at Riverside Park."

Damien's heart sank. "I know what this is about."

"Could you come to the station? We need your statement."

"Am I being arrested?"

"Not at this time. But we do need to speak with you."

Damien agreed and drove to the police station. The next three hours passed in a blur of questions, statements, and paperwork. Derek had indeed filed a complaint, though he had surprisingly not pressed charges yet.

"He's thinking about it," Detective Jeff explained. "Wants to see if you're willing to settle this reasonably first."

"He wants me to give up my daughter."

Detective Jeff's expression remained neutral. "That's between you and your lawyers. I'm just telling you the situation."

When Damien finally left the station, Catherine Torres was waiting in the parking lot, her expression furious.

"Get in my car. Now."

Damien obeyed, feeling like a scolded child. Catherine didn't speak until they'd driven several blocks.

"What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't. I was angry."

"Angry doesn't cut it!" Catherine slammed her hand on the steering wheel. "Do you know what you've done? Derek now has documentation of you assaulting him. Any judge will see that and question your fitness as a parent."

"I know. I screwed up."

"Yes, you did." Catherine took a deep breath, visibly calming herself. "But we can work with it. Derek hasn't pressed charges yet because he knows it cuts both ways. He doesn't want his affair becoming public record any more than we want your assault charge public."

"So what do we do?"

"We negotiate. But from a weaker position than we had yesterday." Catherine pulled into a coffee shop parking lot. "I need you to promise me something. No more contact with Derek or Lisa unless I'm present. Can you do that?"

Damien nodded.

"Say it out loud."

"I promise. No more contact."

"Good." Catherine's phone buzzed. She checked it, and her expression changed. "We have a bigger problem."

"What now?"

"Lisa filed for an emergency custody order. She's claiming you're a danger to Emma. The hearing's tomorrow at nine AM."

Damien felt the world tilt. "Tomorrow? That's not possible."

"Her father's pulling strings. We have less than twenty-four hours to prepare." Catherine started the car again. "I'm taking you to the office. We're going to work through the night if we have to."

They did work through most of the night. Catherine grilled Damien on every aspect of his relationship with Emma, his work schedule, his finances. Other lawyers from her firm joined them, each bringing different expertise.

At three AM, Catherine finally sent Damien home. "Get a few hours’ sleep. Shower, put on your best suit. You need to look composed and responsible tomorrow."

Damien drove home in a daze. Emma was sleeping at a friend's house, a playdate arranged days ago. Damien was grateful she wouldn't see him like this.

He showered but couldn't sleep. Instead, he sat in Emma's room, surrounded by her stuffed animals and drawings. Pictures she made of their family, always the three of them together, smiling.

What would he tell her if he lost? How could he explain that Mommy was taking her away, that Daddy couldn't protect her?

His phone buzzed. A text from Lisa: "This didn't have to happen. You could have made this easy. Now Emma's going to suffer because of your pride."

Damien's hands shook with rage. Lisa had destroyed their marriage, yet somehow she had convinced herself Damien was the villain.

He didn't respond because he couldn't trust himself to stay civil.

Another text, this time from Derek's number: "Last chance. Take the money and walk away. The hearing tomorrow won't go well for you."

Damien deleted both messages and turned off his phone. Tomorrow would come regardless. He might as well face it without their poisonous words in his head.

At six AM, Damien gave up on sleep. He dressed carefully in his only good suit, a charcoal suit he had bought for a job interview two years ago. It still fits, thankfully.

Catherine picked him up at seven-thirty. "You ready?"

"No."

"Good. Overconfidence would worry me." She handed him a folder. "Review this. Your statement for the judge and stick to it exactly."

The courthouse loomed ahead, Damien had never been inside before. Never thought he would need to be.

They went through security, then up to the third floor. Family Court. The hallway was filled with broken families, each fighting their own battles.

Lisa arrived with her father, Judge Harrison. Even retired, he commanded respect. Tall, gray-haired, the kind of man who expected deference. Derek walked slightly behind them, a bandage across his nose.

Judge Harrison's eyes locked on Damien. The message was clear: You can't win.

"All parties for Webb versus Webb, Judge Morrison's courtroom," a bailiff called.

Catherine touched Damien's arm. "Remember. Calm. Composed. You're the stable parent."

They entered the courtroom. Judge Morrison, a stern woman in her fifties, looked up from her papers as they filed in.

"This is an emergency custody hearing. Mrs. Webb is requesting temporary full custody based on allegations of violent behavior from Mr. Webb. Let's begin."

Damien's fate rested in the next hour. Everything he'd built with Emma, every bedtime story, every scraped knee he'd bandaged, every proud moment he'd witnessed.

All of it could end before lunch.