Chapter 7 - THE VISITATION REQUESTA week later, the first formal legal challenge arrived from behind bars.
It wasn't from Celeste. It was from Adrian’s newly appointed public defender—a sharp, overworked attorney named Thomas Vance (no relation to Celeste, thankfully) who looked like he hadn't slept since law school.
Marcus brought the motion over during our morning coffee review.
"He’s filing for joint custody," Marcus said, sliding a certified document across the table. His expression was a mix of disbelief and professional annoyance. "The man is facing twenty counts of wire fraud, securities manipulation, and grand larceny, and he still thinks a family court judge is going to grant him visitation rights to a newborn he didn't even know existed a month ago."
I picked up the document, scanning the legal jargon with cold, analytical detachment.
Petitioner: Adrian Brooks. Respondent: Mia Carter. Relief Sought: Supervised visitation rights, joint legal custody, and establishment of paternal recognition.
I set the papers down gently, taking a slow breath.
"He thinks he can use Lily as a bargaining chip," I said softly, looking toward the nursery door where a soft pink nightlight glowed beneath the doorframe. "He thinks that by claiming paternity, he can negotiate a lighter prison sentence or salvage some semblance of public sympathy."
"He’s grasping at straws, Mia," Marcus assured me, leaning forward. "Legitimacy under these circumstances is an uphill battle. Plus, your birth certificate lists the father as unrecorded, and our legal team has already prepared a motion contesting his paternal standing based on abandonment, fraud, and ongoing federal criminal proceedings. Family court judges in Cook County do not hand babies over to federal inmates facing decades behind bars."
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"I don't want him anywhere near my daughter," I said, my voice hardening into steel. "Not supervised, not through a glass partition, not ever. A man who views a child as a PR tool and a weapon against his ex-wife is not a father. He is a predator."
"Then we fight it at the preliminary hearing next Tuesday," Marcus said firmly. "I'll represent you pro bono. Let's show him what happens when he tries to play games with a Carter."
