Chapter 172

Ryan's POV

Eleanor leaned back in her chair, her expression thoughtful. "Lily believes that if she's no longer your wife, she can take William and disappear from this life she finds so suffocating. But she's forgotten something crucial."

She paused, letting the words settle.

"William is not just her son. He's the Carter heir. The only great-grandchild of this family. And if custody of that child remains with you, then she cannot leave. Or rather—she could leave, but she won't. Because Lily Parker would never abandon her child."

The meaning of her words sank in slowly, like poison seeping through my veins.

"You want me to..." I couldn't finish the sentence. My throat had closed up. "You want me to fight her for custody of William?"

"I want you to ensure that regardless of what she decides about your marriage, William remains where he belongs. In this family. Under your care." Eleanor's voice was maddeningly reasonable. "And as long as William is here, Lily won't truly leave you. She'll stay close. She'll come to her senses. You'll have time to repair what's broken."

"No." The word came out strangled. "I can't do that to her. William needs his mother—"

"And he'll have his mother. I'm not suggesting you separate them. I'm suggesting you make it impossible for her to take him away from the life he deserves."

My mind was reeling. Every rational thought I had was screaming that this was wrong, that using our son as leverage was exactly the kind of controlling behavior that had driven Lily away in the first place.

But beneath the rational voice was something rawer, more primal: terror.

The image of Lily walking out of this house with William in her arms, disappearing into a life I wasn't part of, never looking back—it was unbearable. Literally unbearable. My chest felt like it was caving in just thinking about it.

I can't lose them. I can't lose him. If she takes William away from me...

"Think about it, Ryan." Eleanor's voice was softer now, almost sympathetic. "You know I'm right. The moment she walks out of here with that child, you'll never get either of them back. She'll disappear into whatever small life she can build, and you'll be left with lawyers and custody battles and a son who grows up thinking you abandoned him."

"I would never—"

"I know you wouldn't. Which is why you need to act now, before she has time to plan. Before she finds lawyers of her own. Before she makes this impossible to undo."

The room felt like it was closing in on me. I couldn't breathe properly. Couldn't think.

All I could see was Lily's face when she'd said those words. The terrible calm in her eyes. The way she'd looked at me like I was already gone from her life.

She's really going to leave. She's going to take our son and leave, and I'll have nothing.

"This isn't about fighting her," I heard myself say, and the words felt like they were coming from someone else. "This is about... about making sure William stays in the best environment. That's all. Just ensuring he has everything he needs."

Even as I said it, I knew it was a lie. Knew I was rationalizing, justifying, doing exactly what Dr. Morrison had warned me against.

But the fear was louder than my conscience.

"Of course," Eleanor said smoothly. "This is about William's welfare. Nothing more."

She rose, moved to her desk, and pressed the intercom. "Alfred, please bring the file to the study."

My stomach dropped. "You already—"

"I had our attorneys prepare a preliminary custody evaluation. Just as a precaution." She met my eyes calmly. "You're not the only one who saw this coming, Ryan."

---

The study felt oppressive, all dark wood and the smell of old leather. Alfred had delivered the file and disappeared like a ghost, and now I sat across from my grandmother with a manila folder in my hands that felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.

"Open it," Eleanor said.

My fingers were shaking as I pulled out the documents. Page after page of legal analysis, carefully worded to avoid direct attacks on Lily while systematically building a case for why William's primary custody should remain with me.

Stable income source. Established family support system. Secure residential environment. Access to premier medical care and educational resources.

And by implication, everything Lily lacked: Modest salary from NexGen Tech—enough to support herself and William in theory, but a fraction of what the Carter family could provide. A company-subsidized studio apartment, one room, not even owned but rented. Postpartum recovery period. Limited family support network.

It was clinical. Professional. Devastating.

"They're not saying she's unfit," I said, my voice hollow. "Just that I can provide... more."

"Precisely. No judge would question a father wanting to ensure his son has every advantage." Eleanor's tone was matter-of-fact. "Especially when that father is Ryan Carter, CEO of Carter Industrial, with the full resources of this family behind him."

I stared at the papers, my vision blurring.

This is wrong. This is exactly what I promised myself I wouldn't do. Using my power, my money, my family's influence to control her choices.

But the alternative—

The alternative was losing everything.

"I don't want to hurt her," I whispered.

"I know you don't. But Ryan, if you do nothing—if you let her walk away without any... assurances—then you will lose her. And William. Is that what you want?"

No. God, no.

I closed my eyes, and immediately the image appeared: Lily holding William, walking toward a car, her back to me as she left this house forever. The finality of it. The emptiness that would follow.

I couldn't survive that. I knew I couldn't.

"I won't file for custody," I said finally, and my voice sounded dead even to my own ears. "But if she insists on the divorce... if she tries to take William away from everything he deserves..."

I opened my eyes and looked at my grandmother.

"I need to make sure he stays in the best environment. That's all I'm doing. Protecting my son."

Eleanor nodded slowly. "A wise decision. I'll have Jasper's office prepare the formal documents, but we won't file them unless she forces our hand. Unless she actually tries to remove William from this family."

It's just a precaution, I told myself. Just insurance. She'll see that I'm serious about being a good father. She'll realize that William needs both of us. We'll work this out. I just need time. I just need to make sure she doesn't leave before I can fix this.

The rationalizations came easily, one after another, building a wall between what I was doing and what I knew it actually meant.

"You should get some rest," Eleanor said, standing. "It's been a long day."

I nodded numbly, still holding the folder.

As I walked toward the door, she called after me: "Ryan?"

I turned.

"You're doing the right thing. Protecting your family. That's what a Carter does."

I wanted to believe her. God, I wanted to believe her.

But as I climbed the stairs toward my room, the folder heavy in my hands, all I could think about was the look in Lily's eyes when she'd said she wanted a divorce.

And how much worse that look would be when she found out what I'd just agreed to.