Chapter 6 - The Trap Snaps Shut
"Sole custody?" Emma choked on the words, the world tilting violently on its axis. "On what grounds? I haven't done anything!"
Clara pulled up a sub-folder buried deep within the offshore records. "Medical reports, Emma. Signed by a private psychiatrist you’ve never seen. They document severe postpartum psychosis, hallucinations, and repeated threats of harm against the children. Julian has been building an institutionalization case against you for four months. The moment he files, the police will escort you to a secure facility, and he will board a private jet to Zurich with the kids."
Emma’s hands gripped the steering wheel so hard the leather groaned. It was a complete annihilation. Julian had planned every angle, anticipating her grief, manipulating the medical narrative, and ensuring she would look insane if she ever dared to speak out. He hadn't just betrayed their vows; he had engineered a modern-day execution of her identity.
"We go to the police right now," Emma demanded, panic rising in her throat.
"With what?" Clara warned, grabbing Emma’s wrist. "A forged document on a stolen drive? Julian’s legal team will claim you fabricated the records during an episode. He has judges on his advisory board. If we strike early, he triggers the psychiatric warrant immediately. You lose the children today."
"Then what do I do?" Emma asked, tears of fury burning her eyelids.
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Clara stared at the screen, a ruthless spark igniting in her eyes. "We don't go to the police. We go to the one person Julian fear more than the law. We go to Siera Vance’s husband."
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