“I know. I’m working my hardest to build a case but I have to be careful. The last trial went terribly for me, so I don’t want to rush into this one.”
“So, you had full custody of the kids once before?” She asked me.
I sighed. I hadn’t wanted to share this with her, or with anyone really. It was one of the worst mistakes I had ever made.
“Yes. Right after the divorce. I finally saw Amber’s true colors and filed for custody immediately.”
“And you won?”
“Yes, I won. But it only lasted a few months. I was in a rough spot after the divorce. Amber and I had been together for years and we raised two children together. No matter how awful she was, it was still a hard transition to be alone and I didn’t handle it well.”
Helen grabbed my hand and squeezed. I continued.
“I moved onto the next relationship really fast. Her name was Sabrina and I invited her to move in with me after only a month of dating. I thought maybe it would be good for the kids to have another female figure around the house.”
I looked down, not able to meet Helen’s eyes as I confessed this.
“I had a type for money-obsessed women back then apparently. Only, I didn’t realize it until it was too late.”
“What do you mean?” Helen was now tracing calming circles around my palm.
“One day, Aiden was out climbing trees and goofing off in the backyard. I was inside cooking dinner, so I told Sabrina to keep an eye on him. I wasn’t a total idiot. I knew she hadn’t been ecstatic about me having two children, but I really thought she’d make the best of it.”
“What did she do?”
“It was more what she didn’t do. Despite assuring me she was watching him, she didn’t follow Aiden into the backyard. He was only five. He needed adult supervision. Instead, she laid by the pool. A few moments later, I heard a branch crack and a scream.”
“Oh no.” Helen’s face was horrified.
“I looked up and saw Sabrina rise from her chair, walking slowly towards the source of the scream. I went running out, calling Aiden’s name.”
“My god, Brenton.”
Tears had welled up in my eyes.
“I found him lying beneath a splintered branch, his leg bent in an unnatural direction. It was broken and he was crying a lot. I called the ambulance and kicked Sabrina out the next day, but the damage was already done.”
“I’m so sorry, but that wasn’t your fault. You have to know that.”
“He’s my son. I’m in charge of his well being. Not a woman who shouldn’t have even been living with us in the first place. That was my fault. Trusting her was my fault too. And Amber made sure I knew it.”
“She fought for custody.”
“Only partial custody. She didn’t want them all the time, and really all she had wanted were the child support payments, which I now owe her.”
“Ugh, she’s truly awful.”
“I know. I’m not sure what possessed me to ever marry her, but she wasn’t always like this. Having kids and being so close to the fortune I had accumulated with TruFruit changed her, I think.”
“You have to get your kids back. There has to be some way to convince the courts it was all a big mistake and that things are better now. I mean, look at you. You’re a great dad. Anyone could see that!”
“Thank you. Except, that won’t stop Amber from trying to prove the opposite. She knows about you now, so she can use that against me.”
“Me? What about me?”
My heart skipped a beat. Did she not understand my feelings for her? Did she not reciprocate? What did she think we had been doing these past few days? Hell, what did she think we were doing these past few weeks?
“Yes, you. Helen, don’t play dumb. There’s something here.” I motioned between the two of us.