Chapter 5: The Legal Battle Begins
Three days later, the peaceful isolation of Victor’s forest home was broken by the arrival of a court process server. Evelyn wasn't going to let Victor walk away quietly. Fearing that the truth about Catherine’s death and the stolen trust funds would destroy her public standing and lead to criminal charges, she launched a pre-emptive strike: a custody lawsuit claiming Victor was an unfit father due to his past, his lifestyle, and his refusal to engage with the family estate.
Arthur arrived at Victor’s house an hour later, holding a stack of legal briefs.
"She’s trying to corner you, Victor," Arthur explained as they sat on the front porch, watching Lily draw with colored chalk on the wooden deck. "If she gains temporary guardianship, she can suppress the letters and claim you are mentally unstable."
"She won't take my daughter," Victor said, his voice deadly quiet. His hands tightened around his coffee mug.
"Then we have to fight her in open court," Arthur insisted. "We can't just run. We need to present Catherine’s letters as evidence of systemic coercion and fraud committed by Evelyn."
"That means dragging Catherine’s name through the press," Victor argued, looking at his daughter's innocent face. "I promised myself I would protect Lily from that toxic world."
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"You aren't dragging Catherine through the mud, Victor," Arthur said gently. "You are finally giving her a voice. She wrote those letters so the truth would be known. Let her protect you and Lily one last time."
Victor looked down at the chalk drawing on the porch—a crude, colorful picture of three figures holding hands under a yellow sun. He took a deep breath. "Do it."
