“Then your father’s debt forced this marriage. You walked into that venue, recognized me, and still said nothing.”
“Yes.”
“You’ve been living in my house for six weeks. Sleeping in my bed. Fucking me when the tension gets too high. And the entire time, you knew those children were mine.”
“Yes.”
“And you thought you’d get away with it.”
“I wasn’t trying to get away with anything. I was protecting my children from you.”
“By lying.”
“By doing what I had to do.”
He’s close now. Close enough that I can see the fury he’s keeping controlled. “You kept my children from me. Blocked every attempt I made to connect with them. Took away gifts I bought them. Slammed doors in my face. All while knowing they were mine.”
“They’re not yours. They never will be.”
“That’s not your decision to make anymore.”
“Yes, it is. I’m their mother. I decide who has access to them.”
“You’re my wife. Living in my house. Raising my children. You don’t have the power you think you do.”
“I have enough power to keep them away from you.”
“For how long? I know the truth now. That changes everything.”
Fear spikes through me. “What does that mean?”
“It means I’m their father. I have rights. Legal rights that your lies don’t erase.”
“You have nothing. You’re a sperm donor. That’s all.”
“I’m the man who provides for them. Who protects them. Who gives them security and resources you could never afford on your own. Any court would side with me.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Wouldn’t what?”
“Try to take them from me.”
He tilts his head slightly. “Why not? You’ve proven you can’t be trusted. You lied about the most fundamental thing possible. Why should I let you continue raising my children when you’ve shown such poor judgment?”
“Because I’m their mother!”
“And I’m their father. We have equal claim.”
“No. No, we don’t. They don’t even know you. You’re a stranger to them.”
“Because you made sure of that. But that can change. I can petition for custody. Full custody. Based on your deception and your inability to provide a stable environment.”
“I provide a perfectly stable environment!”
“Do you? You’re living in my house because you have nowhere else to go. You have no income, no assets, and no way to support them without me. Any judge would see that you’re dependenton my resources. And when they learn you deliberately kept me from my own children? They’ll side with me.”
“You’re bluffing.”
