He Forced Me To Abort Now He Begs Me Back Chapter 21
The child and family investigation lasted six weeks.
The investigator reviewed the divorce file, the protective order, Natalie’s public clarification, the bank records, and every message in OurFamilyWizard.
She also observed the supervised visitations.
Evan never missed a session.
He learned how to change a diaper, memorized Aurora’s feeding schedule, and stopped asking for an extra five minutes when the hour was up.
One time, Aurora fell asleep in his arms.
He sat there for forty full minutes without moving.
If you only looked at those forty minutes, he seemed like a gentle, devoted father.
But the investigator wasn’t just looking at forty minutes.
She was looking at the entire timeline of his choices, from the twelfth week of my pregnancy to Aurora’s birth and beyond.
At our final interview, she asked me, “If the court were to allow unsupervised visitation in the future, would you accept that?”
I met her gaze.
“If he truly meets all the safety requirements, I will comply with the court’s order.”
“Aren’t you worried your child will become attached to him?”
“What worries me is his habit of using love as a justification for controlling people.”
She lowered her eyes and wrote a line in her notes.
“How do you want Aurora to see her father?”
I was quiet for a moment.
“When she’s old enough to understand, I will tell her the truth. But I won’t teach her to hate him.”
The investigator looked up.
“Why not?”
“Because hatred can trap you in the past just as much as forgiveness can.”
The report was delivered a week later.
The first twenty pages documented both of our backgrounds and each of the supervised visits.
The final three pages contained the recommendations.
Aurora’s primary residence would remain with me. All major decisions regarding medical care, education, and safety would be mine alone. Evan’s visitation would remain supervised for the foreseeable future. He would not be allowed to petition for a modification for at least six months, and only after completing court-ordered psychological counseling and parenting classes, and receiving a positive evaluation from the supervising agency.
Diane was not to be involved in exchanges and was prohibited from having any contact with Aurora without my written consent.
I read the report and slowly let out a breath.
But my lawyer didn’t look relieved.
“Evan refuses to accept the recommendations.”
“What does he want?”
“Equal decision-making power and immediate overnight visits.”
She placed another document in front of me.
“He’s requesting a full trial.”
I opened the file.
His signature on the last page was as neat and confident as ever.
Just like on the statement demanding the termination of my pregnancy, he still seemed to believe that if he just wrote down his demands, everyone else would have to step aside.
I picked up a pen and signed my name on the witness-list confirmation form.
“Then we go to trial.”