Except we didn’t have any children together.
I didn’t have any kids at all.
I sank to a stool at the kitchen island, trying to interpret the legalese. But the more I read, the more confused I became. It didn’t take me long, though, to realize I needed to contact my personal attorney and get to the bottom of this, and the sooner, the better.
I quickly changed back into my suit before I ran to my car and drove downtown to Danielle Estrem’s Law Firm. She had been a family friend for years and was one of the best attorneys in the area. If anyone could make sense of these documents, it’d be her.
Danielle’s receptionist escorted me directly into her office, where she was reading a stack of documents. I swallowed hard, standing in front of her desk. Danielle glanced up with a smile, but it quickly faded when she saw the expression of confusion and panic on my face.
“Richard? Is everything alright?”
I sat down in front of her desk. My heart felt like it would leap out of my chest. I laid the documents in front of her and didn’t utter a word. All I could do was hold my breath.
She furrowed her brow and picked up the packet. “What’s this, Richard? I assume this is an emergency.”
“Yeah, Danielle, you could say that. Please forgive me for butting in like this.” I tried to smile, but my lips were stuck in a straight line. “You remember my ex-girlfriend, Heather?”
“Not really. But I do remember you mentioning her a long time ago when you came in about a prenup. Then you told me you two had broken it off.”
I tried to speak, but my tongue couldn’t form the words. Finally, I managed to croak, “May I have a bottle of water.”
“Of course.”
It seemed like an eternity before her legal aid appeared with a bottle of Perrier. I gulped the entire thing down as Danielle glanced over the documents before I could speak. Finally, I managed, “It appears she’s filing for custody of a child that we don’t have and wants child support. I don’t know what the hell she’s trying to do, Danielle, but there’s no way that I have a kid!”
Danielle held her hands up, indicating to me that I needed to calm down.
Except that I couldn’t.
Was Heather out to ruin me?
Was this some kind of horrible joke?
I hadn’t spoken to her in years.
“You need to relax and take a deep breath, alright? There are ways to dispute this, especially with DNA testing. Let me finish reading over these.”
As Danielle thoroughly read the documents, I couldn’t help but wonder if we did have a child together. On some level, I wouldn’t put it past Heather to keep that sort of thing a secret from me. She was a selfish, evil bitch who I should never have dated. Yet on another level, I still wasn’t sold on the fact that it was true.
It must be just a way to undermine my reputation.
Our family business was doing very well financially, and she probably got pregnant by some dirtbag who left her. I was sure that she was still in contact with friends and family here in River Valley. She probably found out that I was making a ton of money, and now she wanted to cash in.
I watched as Danielle picked up the phone, although I didn’t know who she was calling. Probably, the attorney who had me served. I wanted to grab the phone and yell, “Do you think I’m a complete sucker?”
I tried listening in, but Danielle had her back to me and was speaking low, so much so I couldn’t make out a word she was saying.
Her secretary came in with another bottle of water, which I guzzled waiting for Danielle to finish. I watched as her office chair spun back around. She put the phone down on the receiver and slowly looked up at me. My stomach dropped. The expression on her face was unmistakable.
It was true.
“Yes, it’s allegedly true.” Danielle let out a sigh before proceeding. “The plaintiff claims three weeks after you two broke up, she took a pregnancy test, and it confirmed she was pregnant with your child. But don’t worry, we’ll file a request for DNA testing. You’re a wealthy man Richard, which can leave you a bit vulnerable to these sorts of things.”
Danielle was trying to give me hope, but deep down, I had an inkling Heather wouldn’t pull this shit if it weren’t true.
“Then why didn’t she tell me?” I said it so loudly that Danielle sat back in her seat. “I’m sorry. I really am. It’s just, I’m not ready for this, Danielle! Why would she keep our child a secret from me all this time?”
“According to her attorney, she didn’t want to be stuck here in River Valley.”
