Chapter 3

The rain ruined the white roses in the garden. Simone had hired someone to plant those roses before we got married. She'd said, "White roses remind me of you. They're refined and elegant, just like you."

Now, the roses were nearly dead.

I walked back to Ally's bed and bent down to kiss her forehead.

"I won't lose, Ally," I said quietly.

I heard the sound of something being smashed in the study. The war had begun.

…

The news that I was going to court with Simone to fight for custody of Ally spread throughout Avoncrest's upper circle in no time.

"He's not going to fight for even a cent of the Jamison family's wealth? Is he insane?"

"It's just a ruse to make Simone feel bad and get more out of her. I've seen guys like him pull these tricks a million times before."

Even my best friend, Larry Hayes, rushed back to the city to reproach me. "Caleb! Have you lost your mind? Simone was the one who cheated on you! You should fight for every cent you deserve! Do you know how much a lawsuit costs? Do you know how much it costs to raise a child?"

His concern for me warmed my heart. I was glad to know that I still had people who genuinely cared about me.

Putting a hand on his shoulder, I said, "I know what I'm doing, Larry."

On the day of the hearing, Simone's lawyer submitted a mountain of evidence to prove that I was unfit to have custody of Ally.

According to him, as a doctor, I frequently worked overtime and couldn't guarantee that I could spend ample time with Ally. The only property in my name was a small apartment I had purchased before our marriage. I had less than 100 thousand in savings, while Simone's net worth numbered in the billions.

Her legal team even dug up old medical records showing that I had seen a therapist for three months during my college days because of the pressure I'd been under while studying.

Even the judge started looking at me sympathetically.

Simone sat at the other table in a designer suit, her posture sophisticated. The occasional glances she cast my way held nothing but derision.

During the court recess, I ran into Simone and Mark in the hallway.

Mark forced a smile and said, "Dr. Rowland, I heard you insisted on getting custody of Ally. I honestly don't understand why you're doing this. It's going to be so hard for you to raise a daughter as a single father."

"You seem pretty eager to stick your nose into our personal matters when you haven't even married Simone yet, Mr. Sutton."

Paying no further attention to him, I looked at Simone and said once more, "I want full custody of Ally."

"You can't afford to raise her!" she retorted coldly. "My family can afford to send her to the best private school in the city. The annual tuition alone is more than your annual salary!"

"That's for me to worry about," I said.

Simone stared at me for a long time before snorting. "Whatever. We'll see what the court decides."

Before the second hearing, my lawyer, Isaac Dawson, came to me with a grim look. "They've submitted the records of your medical malpractice incident from three years ago to the court."

I stiffened.

At the time, I'd done everything humanly possible to resuscitate a patient, but the patient still couldn't be saved. The family tried to sue me for malpractice, but following an investigation, it was determined that I wasn't at fault.

Isaac sighed before continuing, "There's nothing the Jamisons can't unearth. They've even contacted that patient's family and offered them money to testify in court. They want the family to say you're an incompetent doctor who failed in your duties."

My fingers trembled against the document I was holding, but it wasn't out of fear. I was simply gripped by the cold realization that Simone truly wanted to destroy me.

She wasn't just trying to win the custody battle. She wanted to ruin me for good.

During the third hearing, I took the stand and said, "I'm willing to forego all claims to our marital assets. All I want is custody of Ally."

Murmurs broke out in the courtroom.

"I'm willing to walk away without a single cent. I don't even want child support."

Simone's expression grew complicated, and Mark's smug smirk was replaced with a look of pure confusion. He probably couldn't understand why anyone would give up the Jamison family's wealth.

The judge ultimately awarded custody of Ally to me, but I was required to maintain her current standard of living. Simone also retained the right to visit her at any time.

When we walked out of the courthouse, Mark remarked with a smile, "You have a tough road ahead of you, Dr. Rowland. If you ever need help, feel free to reach out to us."

Simone only looked at me and said nothing.

Larry gave us a ride in his SUV. Ally sat in the backseat, playing with her doll.

"Daddy, where are we going?" she asked.

"Home." I kissed her forehead.

In the rearview mirror, the Jamisons' black Rolls-Royce grew farther and farther away. Simone and Mark's figures gradually blurred into two tiny dots.

In the driver's seat, Larry sighed.

"Caleb, did you seriously walk away just like that? Shouldn't you have at least brought more things with you? Any one of the watches in your collection would've been worth five figures, at least…"

I glanced at the suitcase I'd packed. It only contained a few changes of clothes and my medical license.