I called her the day the paternity results came in, the day Maya pushed me to do the test, the day I knew I needed someone in my corner if Jessica ever came back. She’s been waiting for this call.
I tell her everything in three minutes.
“I want you both in my office today,” Ms. Chen says. “Four-thirty. I’ll start drafting emergency protective measures while you’re on your way.”
“We’ll be there.”
When I hang up, Nora’s looking at me.
“Four-thirty,” I tell her.
“Okay.” She stands up, and I can see her pulling herself together, pushing the fear back. “We need to be prepared. Documentation, timeline, everything.”
“I’ll get it.” I pull out my phone again. “I’ve got the note Jessica left with Harper. Photos of Harper when she first arrived.”
“Pediatrician records too.”
“We have months of receipts for everything Harper-related.”
We spend the next hour gathering everything, building our case, preparing for war. Because that’s what this is. Jessica’s showing up wasn’t just a visit. It was a declaration.
She wants Harper back.
And we’re going to make damn sure that doesn’t happen.
36
NORA
The lawyer'soffice is downtown, tucked between a coffee shop and a real estate agency, and we arrive with ten minutes to spare.
Harper's fussy in her carrier, picking up on all the tension, and I'm carrying the diaper bag plus a folder stuffed with every document we could think of. Tyler's got his own folder, equally thick, and we probably look like what we are: two people preparing for war.
The receptionist looks up when we walk in. "Tyler West?"
"That's me."
"Ms. Chen will see you now. Conference room on the left."
Jennifer Chen is probably in her fifties, with sharp eyes and an efficient manner. She shakes both our hands, gestures for us to sit, and immediately opens a legal pad.
"Tell me everything," she says. "From the beginning."
Tyler takes the lead, explaining how Jessica left Harper on his doorstep six months ago. He shows her the note, the photos from that first day, and the text messages where he tried to find Jessica with no response.
I watch him lay out the evidence methodically, and I'm struck by how calm he sounds despite knowing he'sterrified.
"And today?" Ms. Chen asks.
"Today she showed up at my house around two thirty-four p.m.," Tyler says. "High on something. Dilated pupils, erratic behavior, and aggression. She pushed past Nora and started making demands about wanting Harper back."
"Did she threaten you?" Ms. Chen looks at me.
"She said she'd get a lawyer. That the courts favor mothers. That Harper was hers, and Tyler couldn't keep her." I pull out my phone and show her the timeline I documented. "She wouldn't leave when asked. Tyler had to threaten to call the police."
Ms. Chen takes notes rapidly. "And you're certain she was under the influence?"
"Positive," Tyler says. "Dilated pupils, the way she was moving, the way she couldn't track. I'm not a clinician, but I know what high looks like. She was high."