The next morning, Marcus was up before the sun. He hadn’t slept, his mind replaying the horrors Mrs. Deborah had described, the images from her phone burned into his memory. His beautiful children, scared and hurt in his own home.
After checking that Mary and James were still safely with Mrs. Deborah, he locked himself in his study and picked up the phone. His fingers felt unsteady as he dialed the number.
“Richard Thomas Law,” a professional voice answered.
“This is Marcus Johnson. I need to speak with Richard immediately. It’s an emergency. It’s about my children.”
“One moment, Mr. Johnson. I’ll put you right through.”
A few seconds later, Richard’s familiar, steady voice was on the line. “Marcus? It’s been a while. What’s wrong? You sound terrible.”
Marcus took a shaky breath. “Richard, I need your help. My wife… my new wife, Veronica. She’s been… she’s been hurting my kids.”
There was a heavy silence on the other end. “Marcus,” Richard said, his voice suddenly all business. “That’s an extremely serious accusation. You need to tell me everything, from the beginning.”
For the next thirty minutes, Marcus laid it all out. The finger marks on James. Mary’s torn dress and her terrified whisper. The stories of being locked in their rooms, the withholding of food. And, most importantly, Mrs. Deborah’s photos.
“I have proof, Richard,” Marcus said, his voice raw. “I have pictures. But I don’t know what to do.”
“Okay,” Richard said. “The first and most important thing is to get those children and Mrs. Deborah somewhere completely secure. Can you bring them to my office today? I want to see this evidence with my own eyes, and we need to get a formal statement from Mrs. Deborah.”
“Yes, of course. What about Veronica?”
“Don’t say a word to her. Not yet. We have to play this smart, Marcus. When she finds out what you’re doing, she is going to fight back, and she is going to fight dirty.”
Marcus felt his stomach knot. “What do you mean?”
“I mean she has been living a very comfortable life. Your house, your money, your name. She’s not going to just walk away from that. She will get her own lawyer, and she will immediately try to paint you as the villain.”
“But I have proof she’s hurting them.”
“And that’s our anchor. But you need to prepare yourself, my friend. This is going to be a battle. She will lie. She will manipulate. She will tell the court that you’re an absent, uncaring father and that she’s a loving stepmother. We have to be ready for that.”
Marcus closed his eyes, picturing Mary’s frightened face and James’s small, thin body. “I don’t care how hard it is,” Marcus said, his voice firming with resolve. “I will do whatever it takes to protect my children.”
“Good,” Richard said. “That’s what I needed to hear. Be at my office at 2 p.m. Bring the kids, bring Mrs. Deborah, and bring that phone with the pictures.”
After hanging up, Marcus felt a strange mix of terror and relief. He was relieved that the first step was taken, but terrified of what Veronica would do when she found out.
He went to find his children. They were in Mrs. Deborah’s room, sitting on her bed. Mary was holding James, quietly singing a lullaby that Marcus recognized, with a pang in his heart, as one Sarah used to sing.
“How are my two favorite people doing?” Marcus asked softly from the doorway.
“We’re okay, Daddy,” Mary said, but her voice was still small.
“I need you to know something,” Marcus said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “You and James are going to be safe now. I promise you. I am never, ever going to let anyone be unkind to you again.”
“What about Veronica?” Mary whispered, her eyes darting to the door.
Marcus hesitated. He didn’t want to scare her, but he needed her to be prepared. “Veronica… is not going to be living with us anymore,” he said carefully. “But she might be angry. She might try to say things that aren’t true.”
Mary just nodded, her expression far too serious for a six-year-old.
“If anyone… anyone at all… asks you questions about what happened, I just need you to do one thing for me. Can you do that?”
“What?”
“Just tell them the truth,” Marcus said. “No matter what, just tell the truth.”
“Even if it’s scary?”
“Especially if it’s scary,” Marcus said, his heart breaking. “Your daddy will be right there with you.”
At 1:30 p.m., Marcus bundled Mary, James, and Mrs. Deborah into his car. As he pulled out of the long driveway, he caught a glimpse of Veronica watching them from an upstairs window. Her arms were crossed, and her face was not smiling. She knew something was wrong.
Richard Thomas was more than just a lawyer; he was a friend Marcus had known since college. He was a tall, imposing man, but his eyes were kind and his voice was calm. He was exactly the person you wanted in your corner.
His office was on a high floor in a downtown skyscraper. The waiting room was filled with comfortable chairs and had a small table with children’s books. Mary sat close to her father, still holding James protectively.
“Marcus,” Richard said, coming out to greet them himself. He shook Marcus’s hand firmly. “And this must be Mary and James.” Mary shyly hid her face in her father’s coat.
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Marcus murmured. “Mr. Richard is a friend. He’s here to help us.”
“And Mrs. Deborah,” Richard said, nodding respectfully to the older woman. “Marcus told me what you did. You are a very brave woman. Thank you.”
Mrs. Deborah just blushed and looked down. “I only wish I had done it sooner.”
“You did what you could, and you did it at great personal risk,” Richard said. “Now, please, come into my office. Let’s see this evidence.”
For the next hour, they sat in Richard’s large, quiet office. Mrs. Deborah recounted, step by step, everything she had seen. Then, she handed her phone to Richard.
With each photo Richard swiped through, his expression grew darker and more grim. “This is… this is undeniable, Mrs. Deborah. Would you be willing to repeat everything you just told me, in a courtroom, under oath?”
“Yes, sir,” she said without hesitation. “For those children? I’ll do whatever you need.”
Richard turned to Marcus. “Okay. Here’s what’s next. We are filing for an emergency protection order and full temporary custody, effective immediately. By tomorrow, Veronica will be legally served with papers ordering her out of the house and forbidding any contact with you or the children.”
“What will she do?” Marcus asked…
