Chapter 4 - The Legal Shield
I stood at the hospital billing counter with absolutely no way to pay for my son's medication.
My parents had financially paralyzed me overnight to force me into submission.
I had to swallow my pride and beg a close friend for a loan just to get Ethan his painkillers.
When we finally got home, I locked every door and drew all the curtains.
My phone rang an hour later, and I practically snatched it off the table.
It was Sarah, the aggressive city attorney I had called the night before.
She listened quietly as I explained the barbecue, the steel rod, and the frozen bank accounts.
She did not offer sympathy, which was exactly what I needed.
Sarah told me to pack a bag and drive to her office in the city immediately.
When I walked into her massive glass office, she already had a thick file on her desk.
She had run a preliminary background check on Tyler and my parents.
Sarah slid a piece of paper across the desk and told me to look at it carefully.
It was a heavily redacted police report from three years ago in a different state.
Tyler had violently assaulted a teenager at a summer camp, but the charges magically disappeared.
My parents had bought his way out of a felony to protect his future.
Sarah warned me that they would use their endless resources to crush me in court.
I told her I did not care about the money, I only cared about protecting Ethan.
She agreed to take the case on contingency and immediately drafted a restraining order against Tyler.
We were going to war, and she was bringing all the ammunition.
I felt a sliver of hope for the first time since the barbecue.
But as I drove back to my house, a black SUV was parked directly in my driveway.
Two unfamiliar men in suits were standing on my front porch, holding a thick stack of legal documents.
They handed me the papers as soon as I stepped out of the car.
May you like
I read the front page and felt my knees buckle beneath me.
My parents had filed an emergency petition for full custody of Ethan, claiming I was suffering from a severe psychotic break.
