“What do you mean?” I asked, my voice trembling.

“His mother, Margaret, is already pulling strings,” Victoria said. “My contact in the court clerk’s office says they are preparing something.”

“What can they do?” Laura asked.

“They are going to try to prove Emma is mentally unfit due to the trauma of the birth,” Victoria said.

“That’s monstrous,” Thomas said. “She almost died because of his neglect.”

“The law doesn’t always care about morals, Thomas,” Victoria said. “They will use her medical records against her.”

She looked at the papers tucked under my blanket.

“Are those the financial records Thomas found?” Victoria asked.

I pulled the yellowed documents out from under my gown and handed them to her.

Victoria put on a pair of reading glasses and flipped through them.

“This is good,” she whispered. “This shows a pattern of hiding assets through Margaret’s shell companies.”

“Will it help us get sole custody?” I asked.

“It gives us leverage,” Victoria said. “But we need to file for divorce and temporary sole custody immediately, before they file their emergency petitions.”

“Can we do it today?” Laura asked.