A Father’s Rights

I could hear the city's hum from my high-rise office, but it felt so far away. I felt as though I were in another planet, one where the only thing that counted was the pressure on my chest. Behind me the legal office's thick door clicked shut; I at last breathed out.

"Mr. Sterling, it's good to see you," the lawyer began, his voice all business but his gaze fixed on the stiffness in my stance.

I did not answer right away. I ran my fingers through my hair instead, attempting to control my feelings. Never had the burden of my choices felt so great. The legalese, the documents on the desk, the impending fight for Marcus; it was all too much.

But I could not give up. Not at this time.

"I need you to assist me," I murmured, my voice strong but my hands tightly by my sides. I have to get my son back in my care. I cannot allow her deny him access to me.

The attorney moved uncomfortably in his chair. Maxwell, this will be a difficult case. Sophia wishes to keep full custody. There is history there, things that complicate,

"History doesn't matter to me," I interrupted. I want to be in my son's life. I have already missed much too much. I have wasted too much time.

I smashed my fist on the desk, making a harsh bang in the otherwise quiet room. The annoyance overflowed and I could no longer contain it.

"I'll do whatever it takes," I responded, leaning forward and locking eyes with him. "Anything required to be in his life."

The lawyer hesitated, his eyes darting to the legal documents in front of him before finding mine once again. It's going to be a battle. You will have to be ready.

Quietly, I whispered, "I've already gotten ready," the reality sinking into my bones like an unshakable weight. "I won't lose him."

My thoughts were racing as I paced back and forth. Every step I took felt to draw me farther away from the life I had painstakingly constructed; the air in the flat felt suffocating. Maxwell's words echoed in my mind like a never-ending drumming.

Sophia, I'm not requesting. I am informing you.

More than I wanted to acknowledge, his voice, the authority, the confidence had disturbed me. Now, standing in the stillness of my house, I was aware of what was ahead. I knew he wouldn't stop until he got what he desired. Until he possessed Marcus.

"No," I replied, looking at him. I had to stand firm. I will not allow you to carry out this.

Maxwell's expression grew steely, and I could see the tempest in his gaze. Stepping forward, his presence overwhelming, his jaw tight. Sophia, I'm his dad. I have every right to be in his life. You don't get to choose that for me.

Feeling the walls I had constructed around myself start to shatter, I shook my head. You don't know what you are requesting. You have no idea what this will do to him. I indicated to Marcus, who was peacefully on the floor, totally ignorant of the stress about to engulf us. Your not letting him destroy his world.

Maxwell's lips curled in annoyance as his tolerance ran out. "Your worries don't matter. I care for my son. I have already lost much too much.

Trying to quiet my rushing heart, I breathed deeply. The dread in my chest was suffocating. Maxwell, I'm his mother. Raising and safeguarding him has been my responsibility. You can't just come back into our lives and think everything will be the same.

Maxwell's eyes widened, and for a brief minute I believed he might strike out. Instead, he lowered his voice and took a long breath. I'm not telling you to let me take over. I'm not trying to take control; I'm asking you to let me be a father.

I stepped back, hands shaking. And I say no.

Tension hung thick in the room, the force of our fight pressing against the walls like a storm about to burst. I wanted to say so much that my head was spinning, but I lacked the words to help him grasp it. How might I get him to see? How could I make clear that it was about Marcus, not only about him or about me?

"You believe you can just take over and return into our lives?" I spat, my voice shaking with fury. "You believe I'll simply give him to you? Following all?

Maxwell's eyes grew black, and I caught the glimmer of his old rage, always lurking just below the surface. But this time, it was unique. He wasn't upset with me. He was upset with the circumstances and the decisions we had both taken.

Sophia, I'm not trying to steal anything from you, he added quietly. I only want to be in his life. I have always wanted that.

The words struck me like a punch. He was correct. I had kept him away from Marcus for so long that I had decided for both of us, believing it was the only method to safeguard our boy. But now, standing here, the reality of it all struck me more forcefully than I could handle.

I said softly, my voice cracking. You don't get what you're asking for.

Maxwell stepped nearer, his eyes brimming with something I couldn't identify. Then help me to comprehend, Sophia. Tell me why you are preventing him from reaching me. I merit the reality.

I shrank back, my head spinning. This was not only about custody. It was no longer only about Marcus. This was about all we had lost, all we had created. I wanted to shout, to tell him everything, but I couldn't.

"I can't," I answered, trembling. I simply cannot.

From the time Maxwell entered the room, it was obvious he wasn't here to talk. His jaw was tense and his eyes fixed as though a tempest was brewing beneath those blue eyes. Though I wasn't prepared for this battle, I couldn't back down. Marcus deserved stability, not further disorder.

Maxwell spoke softly and purposefully, "Sophia, you're wrong." Marcus has a right to know both his parents.

My heart raced in my chest as I shook my head. Maxwell, he doesn't require this. He's only a kid. You don't know how this will affect him. Though my words seemed feeble, I pressed on. I am his sole consistent force. I have been the one to rear him. nor you, nor your universe.

His hands were at his sides clinched. The way his body was strung tight with will showed me the frustration growing in his posture. "Your worries don't matter." I love my son and won't allow you prevent him from me any longer.

You believe I'm attempting to prevent him from reaching you? I snapped, my throat tightening. I'm trying to shield him from your society. From the pressure you can't even see, from the ones who will use him as leverage.

Maxwell moved forward, his presence now a barrier separating me from my weak will. "Sophia, I'm not asking you for your permission," he continued, his voice harsher than I had ever heard it. "Whether you like it or not, this is happening."

The words struck me like a slap. Thoughts racing, my hands turned into fists. Was I truly prepared to battle this one? I had been safeguarding Marcus for so long. Could I actually let him go to that world? Would Maxwell battle for him or simply pull him into the turmoil of his own life?

I remained frozen, unsure of my desires, but I knew I couldn't let him take Marcus without a struggle.

Maxwell's eyes grew darker with rage, and I could sense the moment's pressure bearing down on us both. We were at an impasse, and I knew this was a fight not only a talk. Though every phrase struck like a hammer, his voice fell to nearly a whisper.

"You're making a mistake, Sophia," he whispered, slicing through the deep stillness between us with his words. This isn't only about you and me anymore. It's about Marcus.

I looked at him; the rawness of his voice caused me to doubt all I had held true. "I'm not making a mistake," I responded, my voice quaking with emotion. I am trying to save him. From you, from all you represent.

Maxwell's look grew frigid as he exhaled in annoyance. Running a hand through his dark hair, he grumbled, "You don't get it," under his breath. I won't let you choose his future without me. I will not.

Turning toward the door, he still seethed with rage. His hand stretched for the handle and my heart sank. The point of no return, the moment I had dreaded, this was it.

Maxwell, his voice calm in spite of the strain, added, "Sophia, I'm not going anywhere." You can push me away all you want, but this is occurring. I'm not letting up on him.

The door slammed shut behind him, and the lastity of the sound struck me like a blast of wind. Frozen, I stood there under the weight of his words hanging in the room. I could not think, let alone breathe. All I knew was that he was correct; this was no longer only about me. It concerned Marcus. And I wasn't certain whether I could shield him from this tempest.

I collapsed to the floor, my palms pressed against my eyes as I tried to keep back tears. What had I done?