Chapter 10: The Custody Threat
Audrey
The fragile peace of the morning was an illusion. I knew it the moment I saw Julian’s face pale as he looked at his phone. The real world was bleeding into our isolated sanctuary.
By mid-afternoon, the inn was bustling with newly checked-in guests, eager to see the autumn foliage. I was at the front desk, sorting through reservation cards, when a sleek silver Mercedes pulled up the gravel driveway.
It wasn't Marcus.
A tall woman in a sharp designer suit stepped out, carrying a pristine leather briefcase. She marched up the steps with the kind of ruthless efficiency I recognized all too well from my days in Chicago.
"Can I help you?" I asked as she walked through the front doors, her heels clicking aggressively against the wood floor.
"I'm looking for Julian Meridian," she said crisply, sliding a business card across the desk. "I am Eleanor Vance, Chief Legal Counsel for Foster Meridian."
My stomach dropped to my knees. Legal counsel.
"He's out back," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "By the lake."
Eleanor gave me a curt nod and marched right past me.
I couldn't stay at the desk. Panic, hot and suffocating, clawed at my throat. Why was his lawyer here? Was he gathering intel? Was this a trick? Was he going to take my boys?
I abandoned the front desk, following them at a distance.
Down by the shimmering blue waters of the lake, Julian was skipping stones with Leo and Lucas. The boys were laughing, entirely captivated by him. I hid behind a large oak tree, my heart pounding so hard it hurt.
Eleanor approached Julian. He turned, and instantly, his relaxed demeanor vanished. The corporate titan returned.
"I told Marcus I am not coming back, Eleanor," Julian hissed, ensuring his voice was low enough not to scare the twins, who were distracted by a family of ducks.
"Julian, you have a fiduciary duty to the board," Eleanor replied coldly. "And more importantly, we have a massive liability issue. I drafted the documents you requested."
She opened her briefcase and pulled out a thick stack of legal papers.
"Did you include the stipulations?" Julian asked, taking the folder.
"Yes," Eleanor said, glancing uncomfortably at the twins. "Full recognition of paternity. And the petition for joint custody, with primary physical residence transitioning to New York. Julian, if she fights this, it will be a media circus. Are you prepared to take these children from her?"
The world spun out of control. I couldn't hear the wind. I couldn't hear the water. All I could hear was the blood roaring in my ears.
Petition for joint custody. Physical residence in New York.
He had lied. All of his tears, all of his desperate pleas, his apologies—it was all a tactical move. He was playing the long game. He wanted his heirs, and he was using his billion-dollar legal team to rip my children from my arms.
A twig snapped loudly under my foot.
Julian’s head whipped around. He saw me standing there, my hand clamped over my mouth, tears streaming down my face.
May you like
"Audrey," he dropped the folder, the white papers spilling out onto the muddy bank of the lake. "Audrey, wait!"
But I didn't wait. I turned and ran back toward the inn, the reality of my nightmare finally coming true. He had found me. And now, he was going to take everything I had left.
