Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1 — The Forged Signature
Ashley stepped out of the black vehicle,
her expensive high heels crunching against the dirty gravel.
She looked at the run-down shelter,
her nose wrinkling in absolute disgust.
Then she looked at Emily,
and finally at the two babies,
before her eyes locked onto mine.
"You always were so easily manipulated,
Michael," she said,
her voice dripping with poison.
I stepped directly in front of Emily,
shielding my family from her gaze.
"What are you doing here,
Ashley?" I demanded,
my hands balling into tight fists.
One of the lawyers stepped forward,
adjusting his expensive silk tie.
"Mr. Carter,
we are here on official legal business."
He opened his leather briefcase,
pulling out a thick stack of papers.
"These are custody documents," he said,
handing them toward me.
I stared at the papers,
my mind refusing to understand.
"Custody for what?" I asked,
my voice shaking with rising anger.
Ashley smiled,
a cold and calculating smile.
"You see,
Michael," she began,
taking a slow step closer.
"When you signed the divorce papers,
you didn't just give up your house,
you also signed away your parental rights,
to any unborn children."
I froze,
the air leaving my lungs completely.
"That is a lie," I spat,
glaring at the smirking lawyer.
"I never signed anything like that."
Ashley laughed,
tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder.
"Oh,
but you did," she mocked.
"Page forty-two,
paragraph seven,
hidden right in the middle of the asset division."
Emily gasped behind me,
clutching the twins tighter to her chest.
I turned my head slightly,
seeing the pure terror in her eyes.
"And because Emily is a documented homeless woman,
without a job,
without a home,
she is legally unfit to raise them," Ashley continued.
"So,
the state has granted temporary custody to me,
your future wife."
My blood turned to absolute ice.
"You are not my future wife," I snarled,
stepping closer to her face.
"And you will never touch my children."
The second lawyer finally spoke,
his tone completely flat.
"If you resist,
Mr. Carter,
we will call the local authorities,
and the children will go to foster care."
I looked at the documents,
seeing my own signature at the bottom,
realizing she had slipped it in,
knowing I was too distracted to read it.
She had planned this from the very beginning,
waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
"You are a monster," I whispered,
feeling a tear slide down my cheek.
Ashley only smiled wider,
her eyes shining with triumph.
"I am a winner,
Michael," she replied.
"Now,
hand over the babies,
or I will have the police do it for you."
Emily began to cry,
backing away toward the shelter door.
"No,
please," she begged,
her voice breaking completely.
I stood my ground,
pulling my phone from my pocket.
"Call them," I challenged,
dialing David Reynolds' number.
May you like
"Because I have my own evidence,
and I am not backing down."
