As they settled on the couch with Carson between them, Bette found herself memorizing the moment – the warmth of the little boy leaning against her side, the sound of Tina’s soft laughter at the funny parts, the feeling of being part of something resembling a family.

Tomorrow she would leave. Tomorrow she would go back to her safe, predictable life in New York.

But tonight, she would let herself pretend that this could be her life. Just for a few more hours.

—–

**Three days after Bette left for New York**

Tina sat across from Helena Peabody in the sleek downtown San Francisco law office, feeling simultaneously intimidated and grateful. Helena was exactly what Bette had promised – sharp, direct, and clearly brilliant.

“The good news,” Helena said, reviewing the files spread across her desk, “is that you have an airtight case for fraud. The bad news is that this is going to be messy, public, and potentially traumatic for your son.”

“How messy?”

“Darren Ratliff has been living a double life for over a decade. That suggests a level of sophisticated deception that’s going to require extensive investigation. We’ll need to subpoena financial records, examine his business dealings, potentially involve criminal prosecutors.”

Tina felt her stomach drop. “Criminal?”

“Bigamy is a felony in California. So is fraud. And depending on how he’s been handling finances between his two households, we might be looking at additional charges.”

“I don’t want Carson to have to testify or…”

“He won’t. I’ll make sure of that. But Tina, I need you to understand something. This man has been committing crimes for years. He’s stolen your life, your time, your sense of reality. You don’t owe him mercy.”

“It’s not about mercy. It’s about protecting my son.”

Helena leaned back in her chair. “Tell me about custody. What are you hoping for?”

“Full custody. I know it sounds harsh, but Darren lied to Carson just as much as he lied to me. And now Carson doesn’t want to see him.”

“That works in our favor. California courts prioritize the best interests of the child, and a father who’s been living a double life isn’t exactly father-of-the-year material.”

They spent the next hour going over details, timelines, and strategy. By the time Tina left the office, her head was spinning with legal terminology and worst-case scenarios.