Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Now Lyla was trying to destroy it all.
“On what grounds?” I asked, though I suspected I already knew.
“Marriage fraud. She’s claiming you entered into the marriage solely to influence the custody case, with no genuine intent to create a marital relationship.” David’s expression was grim. “She has evidence.”
“What kind of evidence?”
He pulled out a manila folder and opened it carefully. “Timeline documentation showing when you applied for the marriage license relative to her custody filing. Witness statements from people who say they never saw you and Gianna together romantically before the custody case began. Financial records showing Gianna maintained her own apartment until the week of your wedding.”
Each piece of evidence felt like a punch to the gut. Together, they painted a picture of exactly what our marriage had been at the beginning a calculated move to improve my custody chances.
“There’s more,” David continued reluctantly. “She has a recording.”
My blood turned to ice. “What kind of recording?”
“A phone conversation between you and Gianna. Something about ‘sticking to the arrangement’ and ‘maintaining the facade for the custody case.’”
The conversation from after our fight, when we’d both been hurt and defensive and said things we didn’t mean. Somehow Lyla had gotten hold of it, and now our private moment of doubt was going to be used as ammunition against us.
“How did she get that?” I asked, my voice barely controlled. And then my stomach dropped. She did have a key. I’d never bothered to change the locks after the divorce because she rarely came by, and when she did, it was to pick up Luca. “She has access to the house when she picks up Luca.”
David sigh and wrote some notes. “That’s likely how. A small recording device in your home.” David’s expression was grim. “It’s invasive, but unfortunately not illegal since she has legitimate access to the residence.”
The violation felt like ice in my veins. Lyla had been in our home, listening to our private conversations, gathering ammunition for her legal war. I made a mental note to call a locksmith the moment this meeting ended.
“But Colby, this is serious. If the judge determines your marriage is fraudulent, it won’t just affect the custody case. You could face criminal charges. Both of you could.”
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to process the magnitude of what we were facing. “What are our options?”
“We fight it. We present evidence that your marriage has become genuine, that you and Gianna have built a real relationship regardless of how it started.” David leaned forward. “But I have to ask you directly. Is your marriage real now? Because if you’re going to commit perjury on top of marriage fraud, I need to know.”
“It’s real,” I said without hesitation. “What Gianna and I have now is completely real.”
“Can you prove that? Because feelings aren’t enough. We need concrete evidence of a genuine marital relationship.”
I thought about the past three weeks. The way Gianna curled against me in sleep, the shared looks across the dinner table, the quiet moments when she helped Luca with homework while I cooked dinner. How could I prove that those moments were real? How could I document love?
“We share a bedroom, a bank account, household responsibilities. We make decisions together about Luca. We—” I stopped, realizing how thin it all sounded in a legal context.
“Those things can be faked for appearances,” David said gently. “What we need is evidence that outsiders would recognize. Joint financial planning, integrated social lives, future commitments that extend beyond the custody case.”
Future commitments. The phrase hit me like a revelation. “We haven’t made any long-term plans because we’ve been so focused on getting through the custody case. But that doesn’t mean we don’t want a future together.”
“Then you need to start making those plans. Publicly. Joint investments, vacation bookings, anything that shows you’re building a life together that extends beyond this legal situation.”
After leaving David’s office, I sat in my truck in the parking lot for twenty minutes, trying to figure out how to tell Gianna that our carefully constructed happiness was under attack. She’d been so radiant lately, so settled and content. The thought of watching her face crumble when I explained what we were facing made my chest ache.
But there was no choice. We were in this together now, for real, and that meant facing the hard things as well as celebrating the good ones.
I found her at home, curled up on the living room couch with a book and a cup of tea. Late afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows, turning her hair golden and making her look like something from a painting. When she looked up and smiled at me, my heart clenched with the knowledge that I was about to shatter her peace.
“Hey,” she said, marking her place in the book. “How did the meeting go?”