Chapter 5 - The Petition.
Daniel's grip tightened around the phone.
He looked at the envelope in Claire's handwriting and then at Hannah.
Hannah quietly took Sophie downstairs.
Daniel remained beside the desk.
“How do you know what I found?”
Tabitha ignored the question.
“Do not open that letter while you're angry.”
Daniel almost laughed at the absurdity.
“You took my wife's estate file.”
“I protected documents that belong to my family.”
“They belong to Sophie and me.”
Tabitha's voice sharpened.
“You always reduce everything to ownership.”
Daniel looked around Claire's room.
“You entered a locked drawer in my home.”
“She was my daughter.”
“And Sophie is my daughter.”
Silence.
Then Tabitha spoke more softly.
“For now.”
Daniel stood.
“What does that mean?”
“You'll understand soon enough.”
The call ended.
Daniel immediately saved the call log and wrote down her exact words.
He resisted the urge to call back.
Maya had told him not to escalate.
Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang.
A courier stood on the porch holding a large envelope.
Daniel signed for it.
The return address belonged to a law office across town.
His stomach tightened before he opened it.
Inside was notice that Tabitha had filed a petition seeking temporary guardianship of Sophie.
Daniel read the first page twice.
The filing alleged that his work obligations had created an unstable home environment.
It claimed Sophie suffered repeated episodes while Daniel was unavailable.
It described Tabitha as the primary consistent caregiver since Claire's death.
It referenced dates from the blue notebook.
Daniel felt rage rise through him, but he forced himself to keep reading.
One section claimed Daniel minimized Sophie's medical needs.
Another suggested he failed to recognize signs of emotional distress.
Hannah came into the room.
“What is it?”
Daniel handed her the papers.
She read the first paragraph and looked up.
“She caused situations and then documented them against you.”
“That is what it looks like.”
Sophie appeared behind Hannah.
Daniel immediately folded the papers.
Sophie studied his face.
“Is Grandma coming back?”
“No.”
Daniel knelt.
“Not today.”
Sophie seemed relieved.
Then she asked, “Is she mad because I told?”
Daniel's chest tightened.
“No.”
He paused.
“She might be upset, but adults are responsible for their own choices.”
Sophie nodded slowly.
“Am I in trouble?”
“Never for telling the truth.”
Daniel called Maya.
She asked him to send the petition immediately.
Twenty minutes later, she called back.
“She filed this yesterday morning.”
Daniel stared at the date.
“That was before the living-room incident.”
“Yes.”
“So the incident wasn't the reason for the filing.”
“No.”
Maya paused.
“It may have been intended to strengthen what she had already filed.”
Daniel looked toward the blue notebook.
The idea was worse when stated plainly.
Maya continued.
“The petition is aggressive, but it is not a decision.”
“What happens now?”
“We respond with evidence.”
Daniel looked at Claire's envelope.
“I found a letter from Claire addressed to me.”
“Do you know what's in it?”
“No.”
“Read it, preserve it, and do not write on the original.”
Daniel ended the call and returned upstairs.
He sat at Claire's desk.
The envelope seal gave way with a faint tearing sound.
Inside were four handwritten pages.
Daniel recognized the date at the top.
Claire had written the letter six weeks before she died.
Daniel,
If you are reading this, then Mom has probably crossed a line I hoped she never would.
Daniel stopped.
He pressed his fingers to his eyes and continued.
Claire wrote that Tabitha had always believed love meant control.
She described arguments over Sophie's routines, school, friendships, and even the way Daniel comforted her.
Claire said Tabitha had once threatened to seek custody if Claire's illness worsened.
I told her Sophie has a father who loves her and a home where she belongs.
Claire wrote that she had changed her estate plan after that conversation.
She had removed Tabitha from every backup decision-making role.
She had also left instructions that Sophie's trust would be administered by an independent fiduciary if Daniel could not serve.
Daniel's hands trembled.
Then he reached the last paragraph.
If Mom tells you I wanted Sophie raised by her, she is lying.
Daniel stopped reading.
For months, Tabitha had told Sophie the opposite.
For months, she had used Claire's memory like a weapon Daniel felt too guilty to challenge.
Daniel turned the page.
There was one final line written in darker ink.
And if she ever starts keeping records on you, check the storage unit on Westbridge Road.
Daniel stared at the sentence.
He had never heard of a storage unit.
Hannah read the line over his shoulder.
“Do you know what she's talking about?”
“No.”
Daniel folded the letter carefully.
Then Hannah's phone buzzed.
She looked down.
Her face changed.
“What?” Daniel asked.
May you like
Hannah turned the screen toward him.
A message from an unknown number read, Stay away from Westbridge Road.
