Chapter 15
Following the disastrous deposition, Arthur Pendelton withdrew as Patricia’s council within forty-eight hours. The threat of a perjury investigation and a tampering-with-a-witness charge loomed heavily over both of them.
By Friday evening, the emergency custody petition was officially dismissed with prejudice.
When Ethan and Lauren walked out of the courthouse, the Iowa sun felt warm against their skin. Lauren broke down, crying tears of pure, unadulterated relief.
“It’s over,” she sobbed, throwing her arms around Ethan’s neck. “It’s finally over.”
“We won, baby,” Ethan whispered, holding her tight. “We won.”
But toxic families do not dissolve quietly.
That night, Ethan’s father, Richard, drove out to their house. He didn’t sit on the porch this time; he walked right into the kitchen, looking exhausted.
“Your mother’s house is being foreclosed on, Ethan,” Richard said, dropping a bombshell.
Ethan blinked. “What? How?”
“She spent every dime she had on Pendelton’s retainer, and she hasn’t paid her mortgage in six months,” Richard explained, shaking his head. “She thought she’d win, force you to pay her legal fees as a settlement, and move into your guest house. She’s broke. She’s losing everything. The family is in an absolute uproar. Clara is refusing to speak to her, and Melissa has completely gone missing from her radar.”
Lauren looked at Ethan, a flicker of guilt in her kind heart. “Ethan... she’s going to be homeless.”
Ethan stood by the stove, remembering the soup boiling over a year ago. He remembered the photos of his son at preschool.
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“She chose her path, Lauren,” Ethan said, his voice hard. “She tried to steal our son. I don’t care if she sleeps in her car. She will never receive a dime from this house.”
Richard nodded slowly. “I figured you’d say that. Just be careful, son. A cornered animal is the most dangerous kind.”
