Chapter 7 Gabriel looked at the hostile stares from the villagers, then at my quiet baby in my arms, and pain flashed in his eyes. The day after Gabriel and his crew left, I got a call from the courthouse saying he'd filed for divorce mediation and was fighting for custody. let out a bitter laugh. How thoughtful of him. At the county legal aid center, the lawyer pushed up his glasses after hearing my story. Property division shouldn't be a problem, but custody is the main issue. Courts usually consider financial stability, and he definitely has the dvantage there." But do you have any favorable evidence? Something that proves he's got character issues?" pulled a USB drive from my bag. This has Vera's chat records and photos she sent me, plus copies of the hospital security footage." he lawyer plugged the drive into his computer. After a few minutes, he frowned deeply. This stuff definitely helps your case, but it's not enough. You need more evidence to prove he's unfit to raise a child." fter getting back to the village, I started reaching out to old neighbors and friends to gather evidence of Gabriel's cheating. urprisingly, lots of people contacted me first, saying they'd been disgusted by Gabriel's behavior for ages and were willing to testify in court. Irs. Stone, who used to praise Gabriel to my face, now told me, "Elena, honey, I wanted to warn you for the longest time. That man's no good. We're ll behind you raising that baby on your own." he day before the hearing, Gabriel came back, this time alone. Elena, do we really have to drag this through court?" He sat on the stone by my gate looking exhausted. "The kid needs a complete family:" was washing clothes in the yard and didn't even look up. "By complete family, you mean you, Vera, and her son?" jabriel was quiet for a long time, then said "I admit I screwed up a lot of things. Can you give me another chance?" Another chance?" I stopped what I was doing and looked at him. You want me to come back with the baby and go back to walking on eggshells every day, watching you three play happy family while my kid and I are ike two extra pieces of furniture." jabriel's face turned ugly. "I never..." Whether you did or not, you know the truth." I squatted back down to wash clothes. "See you in court tomorrow. I'm done talking." The next day's hearing went smoothly. Gabriel's lawyer was definitely professional, arguing for custody based on financial stability and living conditions. But when Vera's chat records and photos were presented as evidence, the judge's expression clearly darkened. Even more damning was the hospital security footage that clearly showed Gabriel and Vera's intimate behavior in the hallway while I was giving birth. Gabriel sat in the defendant's chair, his face white as paper. His lawyer tried to explain, but with solid evidence, any defense looked pathetic. Finally, the judge awarded custody to me, ordered Gabriel to pay child support, and denied him visitation rights until the child reached adulthood. Walking out of the courthouse, I stood on the steps holding my baby, looking up at the blue sky and white clouds, feeling completely free for the first time. When Gabriel walked past me, he paused. "Elena, I..." I didn't turn around or say anything, Some people, once you lose them, you should never look back.