Chapter 6 - Emergency Custody
The chapel hallway seemed to tilt sideways as the reality of the legal document settled over Julian. Emergency custody. He wasn't just a disgraced groom facing a ruined wedding; he was now the sole legal guardian of two children he had met less than twenty minutes ago, thrust into his care by a court system that assumed he knew everything.
"Where is Maya?" Julian demanded aloud, though the empty corridor offered no answers. He looked back at Clara, whose initial rage had transformed into a profound, chilling exhaustion.
"I don't know, Julian, and quite frankly, I don't care," Clara said, her voice frighteningly steady. She reached up and pulled the diamond engagement ring from her finger, letting it drop into the open palm of the nearby security guard. "Keep it. Sell it. Pay for the cleanup of this venue."
"Clara, wait. You can't just walk away like this," Julian pleaded, taking a half-step forward while balancing the infant in the gold dress against his shoulder.
"Watch me," Clara replied, turning her back on him. Her white gown swept across the marble floor as she walked away toward the exit, refusing to look back even once as the heavy doors swung shut behind her.
Julian stood frozen in the corridor, the weight of his collapsing world pressing down on his shoulders. Lily looked up at him, her tear-streaked face full of fragile hope. "Are we going to your house now, Daddy?"
Before Julian could answer, his cell phone vibrated violently in his tuxedo pocket. He pulled it out with one hand. The screen flashed an unknown number marked with a high-priority alert. He swiped to answer, bringing the phone to his ear.
May you like
"Mr. Vance?" a clipped, professional voice asked. "This is Detective Miller of the City Police Department. We found your contact information in the vehicle registered to Maya Vance. We need you to come down to the downtown precinct immediately to identify a recovered vehicle and discuss a developing homicide investigation."
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