His Ex-wife Betrayal

CHAPTER 5

Damien called in sick to work on Friday and spent two days transforming the apartment. He scrubbed every surface until his hands were raw, organized closets, he repaired the loose cabinet hinge he'd been ignoring for months. Emma's room received special attention, toys neatly arranged, and her artwork displayed on the walls.

Catherine's checklist was exhaustive. Clean refrigerator with healthy food options. Childproofed outlets. Current smoke detector batteries. Age-appropriate books visible. No alcohol in reach. It felt less like preparing for an inspection and more like staging a life he wished he had.

Thursday night, Emma helped him bake cookies for the social worker.

"Why is someone coming to look at our house?" she asked, carefully placing chocolate chips into the dough.

"They want to make sure you have a nice place to live."

"But I already live here. That's silly."

Damien smiled despite his anxiety. "Very silly."

"Is this because of Mommy and Uncle Derek?"

The directness of the question caught Damien off guard. "What makes you ask that?"

Emma shrugged, focusing intently on her cookie. "Madison's parents got divorced last year. She said a lady came to her house to ask questions too. Then she had to choose who to live with."

Damien's chest tightened. "Princess, no matter what happens, both Mommy and I love you very much."

"But you don't love each other anymore."

"No. We don't. And I'm sorry about that."

Emma was quiet for a moment. Then, "I wish you did. It would be easier."

"I know." Damien helped her place the cookies on the baking sheet. "But sometimes even when people try their hardest, things don't work out. That doesn't mean they failed. It just means it's time for something different."

"Different is scary."

"Sometimes. But different can also be good. Remember when you were scared to start first grade? And now you love it."

"That's different different. This is bad different."

Damien couldn't argue with her logic. This was bad different. But he wouldn't let her see his fear.

Friday at four PM exactly, the doorbell rang. Damien answered it in his best casual clothes, not too formal but neat and put together.

The social worker was younger than Damien expected, maybe early thirties, with kind eyes and a tablet tucked under her arm. "Mr. Webb? I'm Jennifer Reeves. Thank you for meeting with me."

"Of course. Please come in."

Jennifer entered, immediately scanning the apartment with practiced efficiency. Damien could almost see her mentally checking boxes. Clean, Organized and Safe.

"This is Emma's room," Damien showed her, proud of how it looked. Emma sat on her bed, nervously holding her favorite stuffed elephant.

"Hi Emma," Jennifer knelt to the girl's level. "That's a nice elephant. What's their name?"

"Peanut. Daddy got him for me when I was three."

"That's sweet. Do you like living here with your dad?"

Emma nodded enthusiastically. "Daddy makes the best pancakes. And he always helps with my homework, even when he's really tired."

Jennifer smiled and made notes on her tablet. They talked for a few more minutes before Jennifer asked to speak with Damien privately.

In the living room, Jennifer's demeanor shifted slightly. Still friendly, but more businesslike. "I have some standard questions. How many hours per week do you work?"

"Forty to fifty, depending on the project load. I'm an accountant."

"And childcare arrangements when you're working?"

"Emma's in after-school care until five-thirty. If I'm running late, my neighbor Mrs. Patterson watches her. She's a retired teacher, very reliable. I can provide references."

Jennifer nodded, typing notes. "Has Emma witnessed any arguments between you and Mrs. Webb?"

Damien hesitated. Honesty or self-preservation? "Not until recently. We tried to keep our problems private. But this week, yes, she overheard some things at the hospital."

"The hospital visit is in the report. Do you want to explain your perspective on that situation?"

Damien chose his words carefully. "I received a call that my wife was hospitalized. When I arrived, I learned about injuries that indicated she'd been unfaithful. I was upset, but I didn't raise my voice or make a scene until after I'd left her room. I would never want Emma to see me like that."

"But she did hear about the incident with Mr. Campbell."

"That was a mistake. I let my anger control me when I should have stayed calm. It won't happen again."

"Have you sought any counseling or anger management resources?"

"I have an appointment scheduled with a therapist next week. Whether or not the court requires it, I think it would be helpful."

Jennifer seemed pleased by that answer. They talked for another hour, covering everything from Emma's medical history to Damien's financial situation. He provided pay stubs, bank statements, and proof of his apartment lease.

Finally, Jennifer stood. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Webb. I'll be submitting my report to the court by next Friday. Do you have any questions for me?"

"Will you be honest in your assessment?"

"Always. My job is to determine what's best for Emma, nothing else. Politics and personal feelings don't factor in."

After Jennifer left, Damien collapsed on the couch, emotionally exhausted. Emma climbed up beside him.

"Did I do okay?" she asked.

"You were perfect, princess."

"Good. I told the truth. That you're the best daddy and I want to stay with you."

Damien hugged her tight, fighting back tears. "I love you, Emma. So much."

That weekend, they went to the park, visited the library, and had a movie night. But Sunday evening, his phone rang with a number he didn't recognize.

"Mr. Webb? This is Ronald Blackwood. I'm Derek Campbell's attorney."

Damien's stomach sank. "What do you want?"

"My client is willing to drop the assault complaint under certain conditions."

"Which are?"

"He wants you to agree to Lisa having primary custody with limited visitation rights for you. Every other weekend and one evening per week."

"Absolutely not."

"Mr. Webb, be reasonable. The assault charge will destroy any custody case you might have. This way, you still get to see your daughter."

"I said no."

"Think about Emma. Do you really want to drag her through a prolonged court battle? The stress, the questions, having to choose between her parents? If you truly love her, you'll make this easy."

The manipulation was transparent, but it still worked its way under Damien's skin. Was he being selfish? Would Emma be better off if he just accepted defeat?

No. He couldn't think like that.

"Tell Derek if he drops the complaint, I'll agree to standard joint custody pending the court's final decision. But I won't give up primary custody."

"That's not what my client wants."

"Then we'll see what the court decides. Goodbye, Mr. Blackwood."

Damien hung up, hands shaking. Catherine needed to know about this. He called her immediately.

"They're trying to leverage the assault charge," she said after hearing the details. "Good. That means they're worried about the home study."

"How is that good? They're literally trying to take my daughter."

"They're negotiating, which means they think they might lose. If Lisa were confident in her case, she wouldn't need Derek's attorney making deals." Catherine paused. "But Damien, there's something you need to know. Lisa's home study is on Monday, right?"

"Yes."

"I have a source who works in Derek's office building. Derek and his wife are trying to reconcile. He's been seen having lunch with her twice this week."

Damien processed that information. "So he's using Lisa?"

"Looks that way. Which means Lisa's support system is about to collapse. But it also means she's going to get desperate. Desperate people do unpredictable things."

"What should I do?"

"Document everything. If Lisa contacts you, record it if you can legally do so. Keep Emma's routine as stable as possible. And Damien? Trust the process. The truth will come out."

Monday morning, Damien received a text from an unknown number: "Enjoy your last week with Emma. After Friday, she's mine."

It wasn't signed, but Damien knew it was Lisa. He screenshot the message and sent it to Catherine without responding.

Work was impossible to focus on. Damien kept checking his phone, expecting another threatening message or a call from Emma's school. But the day passed quietly.

At five-thirty, he picked up Emma from after-school care. She was unusually quiet on the drive home.

"Princess? Everything okay?"

"Mommy called me at lunch."

Damien's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "What did she say?"

"She asked if I wanted to live with her and Uncle Derek. She said they're getting a big house with a pool and a puppy." Emma's voice was small. "Can we get a puppy, Daddy?"

"Maybe someday. What did you tell Mommy?"

"I said I wanted to think about it. Was that okay?"

Damien pulled over, turning to face his daughter. "Emma, you never have to make that choice. That's for the grown-ups to decide. You just get to be seven and love both your parents. Okay?"

Emma nodded, eyes glistening with tears. "I don't want anybody to be mad at me."

"No one is mad at you. This isn't your fault. None of it."

But even as Damien said it, he wondered if Emma would always carry the weight of their broken family. If years from now, she'd remember this time and blame herself somehow.

That night, after Emma was asleep, he was fighting a battle he might not win, against people with more money, more connections, more resources.

But he had something they didn't. He had love that wasn't conditional. Love that didn't come with expectations or calculations.

He had to believe that would be enough.

His phone buzzed. Catherine.

"Lisa's home study didn't go well."

"How do you know?"

"Jennifer Reeves is thorough. She noticed that Derek's name isn't on Lisa's lease. Asked some pointed questions about his availability to help with childcare given his full-time job and reconciliation with his wife. Lisa apparently didn't have good answers."

"So we have a chance?"

"We always had a chance. Now we have a good one. But Damien, this is when Lisa will be most dangerous. Watch your back."

Damien looked at Emma's closed bedroom door. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect her."

"I know. That's why we're going to win."

After hanging up, Damien allowed himself the smallest smile. For the first time in weeks, he felt like maybe, just maybe, things might work out.

Then his phone rang again. Emma's school. At ten PM.

"Mr. Webb? This is the school's security system. There's been a breach at the building. We're calling all parents to confirm their children's locations."

"Emma's home asleep. What kind of breach?"

"Someone tried to access the student files. The police are investigating. We just need to confirm all students are accounted for."

Damien's blood ran cold. "I'm checking on her right now."

He ran to Emma's room, heart pounding. She was there, safe, sleeping peacefully.

But someone had tried to access school files at ten PM. Someone was escalating.

Damien called Catherine again. "We have a problem."