Chapter 6 - The Divorce Papers
The penthouse was silent when Garrett finally clawed his way back upstairs using a spare electronic key card he had kept in his wallet.
The place was a tomb.
The high-end designer clothes Evelyn had bought over the years—though she rarely wore them—were gone. Her personal items, her books, her childhood mementos had all been cleared out by Vance Global’s logistical team within hours.
And more importantly, the nursery in the east wing was completely empty.
His son, Leo, was gone.
Garrett stumbled into the master bedroom, panting, his chest heaving with panic. He threw open the walk-in closet. Empty. He rushed to the bedside table.
There, resting neatly in the center of the polished wood surface, was a thick manila envelope labeled in bold, elegant cursive: LAWSON VS. VANCE-LAWSON: PETITION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE AND CUSTODY PROCEEDINGS.
Garrett tore the envelope open, his hands trembling so violently he nearly ripped the legal parchment inside.
He scanned the pages, his eyes darting across legal jargon that made his stomach churn into acid.
Grounds for divorce: Extreme cruelty, financial exploitation, emotional abuse, and physical endangerment of third parties.
Child Custody: Sole physical and legal custody requested by Petitioner Evelyn Vance. Respondent Garrett Lawson granted zero visitation rights pending psychological evaluation and domestic violence tribunal review.
Alimony and Asset Division: Respondent to receive zero spousal support, zero equity share, and zero compensation, citing fraudulent misrepresentation and breach of prenuptial financial disclosures.
"No... no, this is insane!" Garrett shouted to the empty room, letting the papers flutter to the floor like autumn leaves. "She can't take my son! I have rights! I’m his father!"
As if in answer to his frantic outburst, his personal cell phone buzzed violently on the bedside table.
He snatched it up, seeing an incoming call from an unknown, restricted number. He swiped the answer button frantically.
"Hello?!" Garrett barked.
"Mr. Lawson," a calm, chillingly professional female voice spoke on the other end of the line. This is Attorney Katherine Vance-Montgomery, lead counsel for the Vance family legal trust."
"Katherine! Listen to me, your firm represents—"
"Mr. Lawson, I am calling to inform you that a restraining order has just been filed and approved by a federal judge," Katherine interrupted smoothly, ignoring his outburst entirely. "You are legally prohibited from coming within five hundred yards of Evelyn Vance, Mrs. Margaret Vance, or your biological son, Leo Vance. Any attempt to contact them, approach them, or interfere with their legal residence will result in immediate arrest and incarceration without bail."
"You can't do this!" Garrett roared, tears of rage and absolute terror stinging his eyes. "You're destroying my life! I’ll fight this in court! I’ll get the best lawyers in the country!"
A soft, polite chuckle came through the phone speaker.
"Mr. Lawson," Katherine said, her tone dripping with calm amusement. "With what money?"
The line went dead with a sharp click.
Garrett stared at the phone in his hand. The screen went black.
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The reality of his situation crashed down upon him like an avalanche. He had no company. He had no money. He had no car, no apartment lease, no credit cards, and no family to fall back on—his mother’s own modest retirement funds had been tied up in NexusSphere stock options that were now worth precisely zero.
He was completely, utterly alone.
