Fight to the end
Marco
I had to admit that Ashley was a great actress. I’ll give her that. But when it came to wit and strategy, I knew she could never outsmart me. She wanted me so badly that she was willing to use Asher as her pawn, but what she didn’t realize was that I had already anticipated her every move.
While she was putting on her pitiful drama earlier, I secretly recorded every word that came out of her mouth. I wasn’t sure if the court would even accept it as evidence, but I had nothing to lose by trying. At the very least, once the judge hears it, he will see who truly deserves custody of our son.
As painful as it was, I had to accept the reality for now. Temporarily, Asher had to stay with his mother. If I went against the court’s order, I might lose him completely and that was a risk I could never take.
But the hardest part… was figuring out how to tell Ashlyn.
When I came home, I found her sitting quietly on the sofa, hugging a pillow to her chest while staring blankly at the floor. She instantly turned her head when she heard the door open.
“Marco, what happened?” she asked right away, her eyes searching mine desperately. I slipped off my coat, hanging it neatly over the back of the couch, stalling for a second.
I couldn’t meet her gaze. My chest felt unbearably heavy, like a boulder crushing down on me.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Her voice trembled with unease. “Don’t tell me…”
I exhaled sharply, forcing the words out of my mouth. “I’m really sorry, Sweet... The court granted temporary custody to Ashley.”
Her shoulders dropped instantly, all the strength draining from her in one heartbreaking moment. I couldn’t bear the sight. I went to her, lifted her chin gently, and cupped her face, forcing her to look at me.
“Hey… listen to me. It’s not final, okay? We still have strong evidence to present. This fight isn’t over. I swear, in the end, Asher will be back to us.”
She nodded faintly, but tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her gaze. “Will I still see him?” she whispered, her voice so fragile it nearly shattered me.
“Yes. The judge gave me visitation rights, twice a week.”
“Just visitation?” Her voice cracked, trembling with longing. “So that’s it? That’s all I get? It feels like… like he’s not even my son anymore.”
I clasped her hands firmly, holding on as if to anchor her. “For now, this is the best we can do. But Sweet, don’t you worry. I won’t stop fighting until he’s back with us where he belongs. I promise you.”
Her lips quivered before she leaned into me, resting her head against my shoulder. I wrapped her in my arms tightly, trying to shield her from all the pain we couldn’t escape.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured weakly. “I know this isn’t easy for you. For both of us.”
“You don’t need to apologize,” I whispered back, stroking her hair. “Everything I’m doing… It’s not just for Asher. It’s for us and for our family. I want us to be whole again, as soon as possible.”
For the first time that night, a small smile curved her lips, faint but real. The heaviness pressing down on my chest eased, just a little. She was still worried and her eyes couldn’t lie, but I knew she was trying to trust me, to trust the process, despite the storm around us.
“I trust you,” she said softly, her voice carrying more weight than I expected. “I know how much you love Asher. Let’s just keep hoping, keep praying, that the court will be on our side next time.”
Hearing those words, my throat tightened. Exhaustion threatened to break me down, but her faith gave me something solid to hold onto.
“I promise you, it will happen,” I said firmly, locking my eyes with hers. I couldn’t let her see the fear eating me alive inside. No, I had to be her strength.
I drew in a long breath. It was time to tell her the part I dreaded most.
“There’s something else I need to say…”
Her brows furrowed, her lips parting slightly as unease flickered across her face. She could already sense it wouldn’t be good.
“I hate to say this,” I admitted, squeezing her hand, “but I have to bring Asher to the office tomorrow.”
Her eyes widened. “Why?”
I sighed, averting my gaze. “Ashley will be picking him up there. I don’t want her setting foot in this house again, not after the scene she caused. I won’t let her drag you into her mess.”
For a moment, silence hung between us, thick with tension. I felt her hesitation, her urge to protest. But in the end, she swallowed it down and gave a weak nod.
“Okay…” she whispered, though her voice quivered with fear she couldn’t disguise.
I pulled her into another tight embrace, holding her as if she might break apart at any second. The room fell quiet, but our hearts beat loudly, desperately trying to drown out the silence.
“Don’t worry, Sweet,” I whispered in her ear. “We’ll get Asher back. No matter what happens, I won’t let Ashley take him away from us, even if she is his biological mother.”
She nodded faintly against my chest, and I felt the warm trace of a single tear soak into my shirt. She didn’t sob loudly, she was stronger than that, but I knew we were both scared, both fighting in our own way.
And in that moment, I made a vow in the deepest part of my soul: we would never give up. I would do whatever it took to win Asher’s custody.
I wasn’t selfish. If I truly believed Ashley was the better parent, I would’ve stepped aside for Asher’s sake. But I knew her motives. She didn’t want him for love, she wanted him to get to me, to steal my attention. That was her game.
I could outplay her with reverse psychology, just like I had before. But Ashlyn… she wouldn’t approve of that. She wanted to win the right way, through fairness and truth.
And that her honesty, her strength, her unwavering integrity made me fall for her all over again.
She was the real Ashlyn. My true wife. Always fair, always genuine. And I knew, with her by my side, I could fight this battle to the end.