Colin’s mother stopped screaming and stared at Colin in disbelief. “You… you ungrateful son! How could you sign something like that?!” “I… I didn’t know…” Colin mumbled, his voice dazed.
“Now, please leave. Immediately,” Attorney Marshall said sternly. “If you don’t, we’ll call the police and charge you with attempted child abduction. That charge alone could land you in prison for up to ten years.”
“Child abduction?!” Colin’s mother froze. She had only come to take her ‘grandchild‘–it never occurred to her that it could be considered a serious crime.§
Having heard of the heavy charge, Dale’s face had gone pale, too.
While they stood there hesitating, my brother spoke coldly from behind the guards. “Attorney, call the police. I’ve had enough of their harassment. Let them finally pay the price for their greed and stupidity.”
After the call was made, the police arrived quickly.
As the Simmonses trio was taken away in handcuffs, formally charged with attempted child abduction, I felt no guilt or sympathy.” They never once saw my daughter as a person. To them, she was a bargaining chip, a shortcut to wealth.
I looked down and kissed her soft little forehead. “It’s okay, baby. Mommy’s right here.”
With the hospital surveillance footage and the divorce agreement Attorney Marshall provided, the case against them, was airtight.
In the end, Colin’s mother, the one who led the charge, was sentenced to five years in prison, while Colin received three, and Dale got two. Their ridiculous act came to a close with all three of them behind bars.
I held my daughter in my arms, sunlight pouring in through the hospital room’s wide windows, and for the first time in a long while, I felt hopeful.
Those who hurt me had been brought to justice. And now, I could finally focus on the future, one that belonged to just me and my baby. After cutting out all the rot in my life, I had been reborn.
I named my daughter Serena–Serena Harris. Her name means peace and serenity.
And that was exactly what I wished for her: a life full of joy, calm, and love.
The warm afternoon sun filled the room as my brother walked in, awkwardly carrying a mountain of brand–new baby toys. He clumsily tried to entertain Serena, and her happy giggles echoed off the walls.
py giggles e
Watching that sweet moment unfold, I couldn’t help but smile.
Colin and his family were nothing but a closed chapter, one I’d left far behind without even a trace of regret.
From now on, my world was filled with light, with family, and with the sound of Serena’s bright, cheerful laughter.
This was my new beginning and the greatest gift I could ever give to my daughter.
