Chapter 7

The divorce proceedings were messy, just as Richard expected.

Elena fought hard. She hired an expensive lawyer and tried to paint Richard as an absent father who had neglected his daughter. She even tried to bring up the fact that Richard had pretended to be disabled in the past to test people’s loyalty — something he had done years ago before meeting her.

But Richard was prepared.

He had gathered months of evidence: recordings, messages, witness statements from the household staff, and even statements from Chloe’s teachers who had noticed changes in her behavior over the years.

The most powerful evidence, however, came from Chloe herself.

When the judge asked to speak with Chloe privately, the little girl told the truth in her own innocent way.

She told the judge how Elena would lock her in her room when Richard was away. She told her how Elena would throw away her drawings and call her “useless” and “annoying.” She told her how scared she was whenever Elena raised her voice.

The judge listened carefully.

In the end, the ruling was clear.

Richard was granted full physical and legal custody of Chloe. Elena was given limited, supervised visitation rights — which she rarely used.

On the day the divorce was finalized, Richard took Chloe out for ice cream. They sat together at a small park near their new house — a much smaller but cozier home Richard had bought after selling the mansion.

Chloe was quiet as she ate her ice cream.

After a while, she looked up at her father.

“Dad… are you sad that Mommy Elena is gone?”

Richard thought about it for a moment.

“I’m sad that things didn’t work out,” he answered honestly. “But I’m not sad that she’s gone. Because now I can focus on being the father you deserve.”

Chloe was quiet again.

Then she asked in a small voice, “Do you think… real mommies are nice?”

Richard’s heart ached.

He reached over and gently wiped a bit of ice cream from the corner of her mouth.

“I think the right person will be,” he said softly. “And until then, you have me. And I’m not going anywhere.”

Chloe looked at him for a long moment.

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Then, for the first time in months, she gave him a small but genuine smile.

“Okay, Daddy.”