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“Those things can be faked for appearances,” David said gently. “What we need is evidence that outsiders would recognize. Joint financial planning, integrated social lives, future commitments that extend beyond the custody case.”
Future commitments. The phrase hit me like a revelation. “We haven’t made any long-term plans because we’ve been sofocused on getting through the custody case. But that doesn’t mean we don’t want a future together.”
“Then you need to start making those plans. Publicly. Joint investments, vacation bookings, anything that shows you’re building a life together that extends beyond this legal situation.”
After leaving David’s office, I sat in my truck in the parking lot for twenty minutes, trying to figure out how to tell Gianna that our carefully constructed happiness was under attack. She’d been so radiant lately, so settled and content. The thought of watching her face crumble when I explained what we were facing made my chest ache.
But there was no choice. We were in this together now, for real, and that meant facing the hard things as well as celebrating the good ones.
I found her at home, curled up on the living room couch with a book and a cup of tea. Late afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows, turning her hair golden and making her look like something from a painting. When she looked up and smiled at me, my heart clenched with the knowledge that I was about to shatter her peace.
“Hey,” she said, marking her place in the book. “How did the meeting go?”
I sat down beside her, close enough to touch but not quite ready to. “Lyla filed a motion to challenge our marriage.”
The color drained from her face. “What does that mean?”
“She’s claiming marriage fraud. Saying we only got married to influence the custody case.”
Gianna set down her book with shaking hands. “Can she do that?”
“She’s doing it. The hearing is in ten days.”
“Ten days?” Her voice rose to almost a whisper. “Colby, what happens if she wins?”
I reached for her hands, needing the contact as much as she did. “We fight it. We prove that what we have now is real.”
“But how? She’s right about how it started. We did get married for the custody case. The timing, the circumstances. It all looks exactly like what she’s claiming.”
“The beginning doesn’t matter. What matters is what we’ve built since then.”
Gianna pulled her hands free and stood up, beginning to pace the living room like a caged animal. “What if the judge doesn’t see it that way? What if they decide we’re both criminals?”
“That won’t happen.”
“You don’t know that.” She turned to face me, and I could see the fear in her eyes. “Colby, I could go to jail. We both could. And Luca? God, what would happen to Luca if we both got arrested?”
“Stop.” I stood up and caught her by the shoulders, forcing her to look at me. “That’s not going to happen. We’re going to fight this, and we’re going to win.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because what we have is real. Because I love you, and you love me, and that has to count for something.”
Tears gathered in her eyes. “But what if it’s not enough? What if love isn’t enough to overcome the legal mess we’ve created?”
Before I could answer, the front door burst open and Luca came running in, backpack flying behind him and a huge grin on his face.
“Mom! Dad! Guess what happened at school today!” He skidded to a stop when he saw our faces, his excitement immediately shifting to concern. “What’s wrong? Why do you both look sad?”
Gianna quickly wiped her eyes and forced a smile. “Nothing, sweetheart. Just grown-up stuff. Tell us about school.”
But Luca wasn’t fooled. He’d grown expert at reading adult moods over the past few months, and he could tell something was seriously wrong.
“Did I do something bad?” he asked quietly, his voice small.
The simple question from my six-year-old son broke something open in my chest. He’d been so happy lately, so secure in our little family. The thought of him worrying that he was somehow responsible for our stress made me want to put my fist through the wall.
“No, buddy,” I said, kneeling down to his level. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You’re perfect. Sometimes grown-ups just have things to figure out.”