One thing was clear: I needed custody settled as soon as possible.
I didn't waste a single hour. By that afternoon I had every document and appeal prepared, and I delivered them to the courthouse myself.
The ruling would take time, but I was certain the outcome would be in my favor.
After all, when we'd remarried, Thomas had rushed through the registration at the courthouse and left me standing there alone.
Back then, I'd assumed he was too busy with work.
Now I could see it was probably Tracey pulling his strings again.
And thanks to her little stunt, Thomas hadn't had time to look closely.
He never noticed the marriage certificate was fake.
But before the final ruling came through, Thomas called first.
"Vivienne, I don't care how many days you plan to keep this tantrum going. Bring me Lily's lucky charm necklace."
"Douglas has always been in poor health. I'm going to put it on him myself."
The moment his words landed, a new message flashed across my screen.
A headline: the Gilbert family's young heir to be formally recognized at a paternity recognition banquet.
I recognized the number. Tracey had sent it.
On the other end of the line, Thomas was still pressing.