Chapter 7: The Father They Tried to Destroy
By the time Marcus got Jordan home, the boy had stopped asking questions.
That frightened Marcus more than the tears.
Jordan sat at the kitchen counter in his baseball uniform, his untouched dinner growing cold in front of him. His glove lay beside his plate. Every few minutes, he glanced toward the front window, as though expecting someone else to arrive with another accusation.
Marcus put his phone on speaker and called his attorney.
“Tell me exactly what this investigator's report could do,” he said when Daniel Brooks answered.
Daniel was quiet for a moment.
“First, don't contact Toulouse. Don't argue with the investigator. And don't discuss the allegations with Jordan in a way that could make him feel responsible for defending you.””
“I'm not asking him to defend me.””
“I know. I'm telling you to keep it that way. If someone is alleging that you're influencing him for financial reasons, your response needs to be documented, calm, and focused on his welfare.””
Marcus rubbed his forehead.
“They're saying I want his inheritance.””
“Then we need evidence showing what actually happened. Preserve every message, every document, and every communication concerning the proposed payment.””
“What about the report?””
“We'll request the appropriate information and respond through the proper process. But I need you to understand something, Marcus. Toulouse doesn't have to prove every accusation true for the accusations to create trouble. We need to be prepared.””
Marcus glanced at Jordan.
The boy was pretending not to listen.
“Understood.””
After the call, Marcus sat beside him.
“Dinner's getting cold, buddy.””
“I'm not hungry.””
“Want to tell me what's on your mind?””
Jordan shrugged.
“If the court thinks you're bad, will they make me live with Toulouse?””
Marcus felt the question like a fist against his ribs.
“People don't decide something that important based on one person's accusation. There are procedures, and there are people whose job is to look at the facts.””
“But what if they believe him?””
Marcus took a breath.
“Then we'll keep telling the truth. You don't have to fix this for me.””
Jordan stared at his plate.
“I think he hates you.””
“Maybe he's angry with me.””
“Because you won't let him have the money?””
Marcus shook his head.
“Jordan, the money belongs to you. My job is to make sure adults don't use it to pressure you. I don't get to take it, and neither does anyone else just because they want it.””
Jordan picked at the edge of his napkin.
“Then why does he want me so badly?””
Marcus had no answer that wouldn't wound him.
So he pulled Jordan into a hug and held him until the boy finally began to cry.
“I just want everything to go back to normal,” Jordan whispered.
Marcus pressed his cheek against the top of his son's head.
“So do I.””
The following morning, Daniel arrived at Marcus's house at eight o'clock carrying a leather briefcase and a thick folder.
He was in his early fifties, with a calm voice and the kind of expression that suggested he had heard every possible excuse an adult could make for hurting a child.
They sat at the dining table while Jordan got ready for school upstairs.
Daniel reviewed the documents one by one.
The proposed payment.
Vanessa's preliminary consent.
The trust correspondence.
Robert Hayes's email.
Then he reached the guardianship request.
His expression hardened.
“This is more aggressive than I expected.””
Marcus leaned forward.
“Can he get custody by claiming I'm turning Jordan against him?””
“An allegation isn't a finding. But we need to respond properly. I'll ask for the supporting evidence, and we'll make sure the court has the relevant context.””
Daniel tapped the page.
“There's something else. The request describes Toulouse as a parent who has recently resumed regular contact with Jordan.””
“He's seen him twice.””
“Then we need a clear record of what actually happened. Dates, messages, conversations, visits. Anything that helps establish the history without exaggeration.””
Marcus nodded.
Daniel continued reviewing the paperwork.
At the back of the folder, he found a document Marcus hadn't seen before.
It was a proposed statement about Jordan's living arrangements, bearing Vanessa's signature.
Marcus felt his stomach drop.
“What is that?””
Daniel read it silently.
Then he turned the paper toward Marcus.
The statement claimed that Jordan had expressed a strong preference to live with Toulouse and that Marcus's continued involvement was causing emotional conflict.
Marcus stared at the signature.
“She never told me Jordan wanted to leave.””
“Did you know she had signed this?””
“No.””
Daniel examined the date.
“Three days ago.””
Marcus pushed back his chair.
“She sat in this house yesterday and cried because she said she wanted to protect him.””
Daniel placed the statement on the table.
“I understand why you're angry. But we need to find out whether she understood what she was signing and whether the statement accurately reflects what Jordan said.””
Marcus stood and walked toward the window.
He could see Jordan's backpack beside the stairs.
For eight years, he had believed the worst thing Vanessa could do was stop loving him.
Now he was discovering something worse.
She had been willing to use their son's voice without asking whether the words were true.
At 9:20 a.m., Vanessa arrived.
She entered the dining room and stopped when she saw Daniel.
“What is he doing here?””
Marcus turned toward her.
“Trying to understand why you signed a statement saying Jordan wants to live with Toulouse.””
Vanessa looked at the document.
Her face went pale.
“Where did you get that?””
“From the guardianship paperwork.””
She sank into a chair.
“Toulouse said it was a routine statement.””
Daniel folded his hands.
“Mrs. Reed, did you read the document before signing it?””
Vanessa looked down.
“I read most of it.””
“Did Jordan tell you he wanted to live with his biological father?””
“No.””
Marcus stared at her.
“Then why did you sign it?””
“Because Toulouse said it was necessary to show that Jordan was open to the arrangement.””
“That's not what it says.””
“I know that now.””
Daniel's voice remained measured.
“Did you tell Toulouse that Jordan had expressed a preference to remain with Marcus?””
Vanessa nodded, tears gathering in her eyes.
“Yes.””
“Did you tell him Jordan had said he didn't want to leave?””
“Yes.””
Marcus felt a bitter laugh rise in his throat.
“And he still asked you to sign this?””
Vanessa covered her face.
“He said the lawyers would handle the wording. He said it was just to get the process started.””
Daniel made a note.
“Mrs. Reed, I strongly recommend that you obtain independent legal advice before signing anything else. You also need to be completely truthful about what happened. If a statement is inaccurate, it should be addressed through the appropriate legal process.””
Vanessa nodded.
Marcus looked at her.
“Why didn't you call me?””
She lowered her hands.
“Because I knew you'd be angry.””
“You were right.””
“I thought I could fix it before you found out.””
Marcus shook his head.
“You keep saying you wanted to fix things. But every time you try, you make another decision that takes the truth away from the people who need it.””
Vanessa began to cry.
“I was scared.””
“So was Jordan.””
The room went silent.
Upstairs, a drawer closed.
Jordan was getting ready for school.
Vanessa looked toward the ceiling, her expression crumpling.
“I never wanted him to be afraid.””
Marcus's voice softened, but only slightly.
“Then stop asking him to trust a story that keeps changing.””
Daniel gathered the documents.
“We have work to do. I'll contact the appropriate parties and determine the next steps. For now, nobody should pressure Jordan to choose sides or tell him what to say.””
Vanessa nodded.
When Daniel left, she remained seated at the table.
Marcus stood across from her.
“I'm going to fight to protect Jordan. That doesn't mean I'm trying to destroy you.””
She looked up.
“Will you ever forgive me?””
Marcus thought about their wedding day, the first apartment they'd rented together, and the little boy who had once fallen asleep between them during a thunderstorm.
He remembered Vanessa holding Jordan's hand when he learned to ride a bike. He remembered her laughing when Marcus accidentally wore two different shoes to a school concert.
There had been real love in their marriage.
That was what made the betrayal so difficult to understand.
“I don't know,” he said.
Vanessa wiped her face.
“I understand.””
“No, I don't think you do. Forgiveness isn't something you get because you're sorry. It's something that might happen after you stop doing the thing you're sorry for.””
She nodded slowly.
Then she reached into her handbag.
“I brought something.””
She placed a small black notebook on the table.
Marcus recognized it immediately.
It was Jordan's baseball journal, the one he used to record game scores, practice notes, and little drawings of himself hitting home runs.
“Why do you have that?”” he asked.
“I found it in my car. Toulouse gave Jordan a ride to the sporting goods store last week, and the notebook was left in the back seat.””
Marcus frowned.
“Jordan hasn't been to the sporting goods store with him.””
Vanessa opened the notebook to a page marked with a folded corner.
“Read this.””
Marcus looked down.
The handwriting wasn't Jordan's.
It was Toulouse's.
Jordan, if you want the best future, you need to understand that your grandfather's money is a responsibility. Your mother and I are working to protect it. Marcus may not understand how business works, but you need to trust the people who can help you.
Below the message, someone had written a question in Jordan's handwriting.
Does Dad get to come with me?
Toulouse's response was written beneath it.
Not if he refuses to cooperate.
Marcus stared at the page.
Vanessa whispered, “I found it last night. I didn't know what to do.””
He closed the notebook.
For the first time since she had left, Marcus saw something other than guilt in her face.
He saw fear for their son.
“Why did you bring it to me?”” he asked.
“Because Toulouse called me this morning. He said if I didn't support his request, he'd tell the court I was unstable and unfit to make decisions for Jordan.””
Marcus's jaw tightened.
“And what did you tell him?””
Vanessa lifted her chin.
“I told him I wouldn't lie for him again.””
Marcus studied her.
It was the first decision she had made in days that didn't seem designed to protect herself.
Before he could respond, his phone rang.
Daniel's name appeared on the screen.
Marcus answered.
“What's happened?””
Daniel spoke quickly.
“The investigator has submitted her preliminary report. Toulouse is requesting an emergency hearing.””
Marcus gripped the phone.
“When?””
“Tomorrow morning.””
He looked at Vanessa.
She had heard every word.
Daniel continued.
“And there's another issue. Toulouse has submitted a sworn statement alleging that you offered to surrender your relationship with Jordan in exchange for a financial payment.””
Marcus went cold.
“He offered me the money!””
“I know. We have the draft agreement, but we need to prepare our response immediately.””
Marcus stared at the notebook on the table.
Toulouse had tried to buy his silence, rewrite Jordan's wishes, and turn Marcus into the villain.
Now he was asking a court to believe that Marcus was the one who wanted money.
Marcus took a breath.
“Tell me what you need.””
“Everything. Every message, every date, every document. We have until tomorrow to put the facts together.””
Marcus looked at Vanessa.
For once, she didn't look away.
She pushed the notebook toward him.
“Then let's tell them everything,” she said.
But as Marcus began gathering the evidence, he noticed a final page tucked into the back cover.
It contained a handwritten note from Toulouse, dated the previous week.
May you like
And the first sentence read:
Once Marcus is removed from the picture, Jordan will finally be where he belongs.
