“No. But my wife made her choice. She wanted me at the hospital during Aleesa’s birth. She wanted me to sign the birth certificate as Aleesa’sfather. She clearly thought the same thing about Rafael’s character if she did not feel the urge to at least alert him that he could be the father.”
“Or perhaps your wife felt ashamed, Mr. Valdez. Did you think about that?”
“Objection, your honor. We are not here to discuss Mr. Valdez’s deceased wife or her affairs. We are here to seek the best solution for Aleesa.”
“Sustained. Remove the last question from the records,” Judge Dalton commanded. “Mr. Cameron, I expect you to conduct yourself professionally. There will be no further questions about the mother of the child.”
“Of course, your honor. No further questions.”
“Mr. Valdez, if the court were to grant the biological father visitation or partial custody, how would you handle that?” Judge Dalton asked me as Cameron walked away.
“If you want me to be honest, I would not like it, Your Honor. I believe that keeping her in my care is what is best for her. I do not care if she grows up and learns the truth about who her biological father really is. If she decides that she would like to get to know Rafael, that will be her choice, and I will not stop her. But right now, I do not think it is fair to throw that wrench in her life.” I noticed my eyes had drifted as I provided the explanation. I looked at the judge again, raised my chin, and said, “If it comes down to it, though, I will do what the court decides is best for my child.”
Judge Dalton nodded sympathetically as she regarded me.
“Thank you for your honesty, Mr. Valdez. You may now leave the stand. We will take a fifteen-minute recess, then proceed with Mr. Acosta on the stand.”
I walked up to the desk, where Christine was collecting papers in her folder. “Great job, Javier. You spoke calmly and kept your answers simple. Judge Dalton will take your behavior into consideration, considering how sensitive this situation is for you.”
“I hope so. I just feel like I did not say enough.”
“You said more than enough. Trust me.”
I slid my gaze to Rafael and his lawyer as they left their desk and sauntered toward the double doors.
Rafael nodded at me.
I grimaced.
I wanted to bury him in the fucking ground.
Forty-Four
Javier
The fifteen minutes seemed to fly by.
Before I knew it, we were back in the courtroom, and Rafael, along with his smug grin, took the stand.
I hated sitting there, listening to him make his pleas. Listening to him as he tried to garner sympathy from the judge, saying how badly he wanted to be a father and how he’d already missed important stages of Aleesa’s life.
And the worst part about it was that Judge Dalton seemed to be falling for it. That serious mask she wore slowly morphed to an expression full of understanding.
That was almost enough to send me into a spiral.
When Christine approached Rafael, she did not take it easy on him, but he knew what to expect. He answered all her questions with ease and continued pulling at the judge’s heartstrings.
He was trying to prove he was a good person who deserved to know his biological child ... and, fuck me, it was working for him.
By the end of it, I felt defeated. Weak.
My lawyer gave her closing statements, and so did his.
It wasn’t until I was inside my car that I realized my hands were shaking. Perhaps that was why Cat tried to insist that she drive mehome before I even made it to the car. I probably should not have turned down her offer.
She and my mother had driven a rental car together to reach the courthouse and were on the way to my home.
I held on to the steering wheel, feeling hotness build behind my eyes.
