Chapter 8 - Nicole’s Boyfriend Tells the Truth
The following morning broke bright and clear, but the atmosphere inside our home remained intensely focused. By 9:00 AM, our family attorney, Marcus Vance, was sitting in our living room reviewing the stack of fraudulent loan documents, the ER medical reports, and the kitchen surveillance video.
"This is an open-and-shut case," Marcus said, closing his leather folder with a satisfying snap. "Between the physical assault caught on high-definition video, the forged loan applications, and the unauthorized credit card charges, Patricia is facing multiple felony counts. Nicole could also be indicted as an accessory if she benefited from the stolen funds."
Right as Marcus finished speaking, the front doorbell chimed.
Ethan and I exchanged a tense glance. Ethan walked to the foyer, checked the security monitor, and frowned. "It’s not my mother. It’s a guy in a work truck."
Ethan cracked the door open, keeping the security chain engaged. Standing on the porch was a young man in his late twenties, wearing grease-stained Carhartt work pants and a faded denim jacket. He looked pale, exhausted, and deeply uncomfortable.
"Ethan? Are you Ethan Miller?" the young man asked hesitantly.
"Who’s asking?" Ethan responded guardedly.
"I’m Derek. Derek Lawson," the young man said, running a nervous hand through his shaggy brown hair. "I’m... well, I’m Nicole’s ex-boyfriend. The father of her baby."
Ethan paused, unhooked the security chain, and opened the door fully. "What are you doing here, Derek?"
"I heard what happened yesterday," Derek blurted out, his voice full of genuine distress. "Nicole called me last night, crying hysterically from a motel off Route 9. She told me you guys beat her up and threw her into the street. But... look, man, I know Nicole. And I know Patricia. I know how they operate."
I stepped up beside Ethan, my left hand still wrapped in clean white bandages. Derek’s eyes immediately dropped to the dressing, and a look of deep shame crossed his face.
"Did Patricia do that?" Derek asked quietly.
"She threw a heavy ceramic bowl at Clara’s face," Ethan said bluntly. "And then Nicole helped her try to frame Clara for assault."
Derek let out a long, defeated sigh, slumping his shoulders against the porch railing. "God. I am so sorry. I knew they were crazy, but I didn't think they’d go that far."
"Why did you leave Nicole, Derek?" I asked, studying his tired face. "Nicole told Ethan you abandoned her at a gas station when you found out she was pregnant."
Derek let out a bitter, dry laugh. "Abandoned her? Are you kidding me? Nicole dumped me because I wouldn't let Patricia run our lives! When Nicole got pregnant, Patricia came to my repair shop and demanded that I sign over fifty percent of my business to Nicole as a 'pre-marital settlement.' When I told her to get lost, Patricia convinced Nicole that I was a broke loser. She told Nicole that Ethan was rich, that Ethan lived in a multimillion-dollar mansion, and that Nicole could live like a queen with Ethan if she cut me out of the baby’s life entirely!"
Ethan’s jaw clenched. "Patricia orchestrated your breakup?"
"Completely," Derek said, pulling out his phone. "Patricia texted me three days ago from an unknown number. She bragged that she had just secured fifty grand in cash and that they were going to hire a high-powered custody lawyer to strip my parental rights the minute the baby was born unless I signed an NDA and gave up all visitation."
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Derek looked straight into Ethan’s eyes. "I love my unborn kid, man. I work sixty hours a week turning wrenches at an independent garage to build a college fund for this baby. I never abandoned Nicole. Patricia pushed me out because I wouldn't let her control my wallet."
Ethan reached out and gripped Derek’s shoulder firmly. "Come inside, Derek. We have a lot of things to show you. And our lawyer is sitting in the living room."
