Adrian pulled him closer.
“Go back to bed.”
“Okay.”
“Rabbit?”
“In my room.”
“Good.”
After Noah left, Adrian sat awake.
He wanted to protect his son from every adult consequence.
He couldn't.
All he could do was avoid making Noah responsible for protecting Adrian.
So he never asked which parent Noah loved more.
Never asked what Megan said.
Never told him about court strategy.
He let Noah be six.
That became the hardest discipline of his life.
Meanwhile, the fraud case widened.
The handwriting expert issued a formal opinion: Adrian's father had not signed the loan documents.
The notary seal belonged to Randall Pope, whose commission had expired years earlier.
Records linked Pope to Pinnacle Asset Recovery through shell companies.
Harmon called Adrian into the office.
“Number one, good.”
Adrian sat.
“Number two?”
“Better.”
“Number three?”
“Interesting.”
“Stop enjoying this.”
Harmon smiled.
“The handwriting report is strong.”
“Good.”
“State investigators have already received complaints against Pinnacle.”
Adrian leaned forward.
“How many?”
“Enough.”
“And Pope?”
“Owns the servicing company through another corporation.”
Adrian stared.
“So the same man witnessed Dad's fake signature and then collected on the fake loan?”
“Allegedly.”
“Harmon.”
“I like my license.”
Adrian almost laughed.
Then Harmon showed him another name.
Sonia Reyes.
State investigator.
She had been reviewing similar estate-related liens across three counties.
Victims were often elderly homeowners or heirs dealing with probate.
Paperwork appeared after death.
Families panicked.
Some paid.
Some refinanced.
Some sold property.
The scheme depended less on sophistication than exhaustion.
People grieving did not always have money to fight.
That made Adrian furious.
His father's death had left him so emotionally scattered that if Ivy had not questioned the letter, he might have surrendered the house before realizing the debt was false.
“They count on people being tired.”
Harmon nodded.
“Most scams do.”
Adrian looked at the file.
“They picked the right family.”
Harmon raised an eyebrow.
“Did they?”
Adrian looked at him.
For the first time, he understood the answer.
Maybe not.
The custody hearing came first.
Megan sat across the courtroom wearing navy.
Patrick was not there.
Adrian appreciated that.
Noah had been interviewed privately by a court-appointed evaluator rather than forced to choose in open court.
The judge reviewed the history.
Megan's health.
Her progress.
Adrian's stability.
The house.
School.
Noah's preferences.
The decision did not give either parent everything.
Primary residence remained with Adrian.
Megan received structured visits, expanding over time.
Joint decision-making in major matters.
No triumph.
No defeat.
The judge told both of them:
“Your son needs two parents who stop treating stability as ownership.”
Adrian carried that sentence home.
Megan did too.
Outside the courthouse, she stood beside him for several minutes.
“I hate you a little.”
Adrian nodded.
“Fair.”