He Called Divorce Papers A Joke I Called It Done Chapter 06

He Called Divorce Papers A Joke I Called It Done Chapter 06

Declan moved before he could think. He put himself between Harper and the crowd. “You got something to say, say it to me!”

The guy looked at him like he was pathetic. “You’re an idiot, Declan. Half the guys in this room have slept with her, and you’re the only one dumb enough to think she’s special.”

“Why do you think she moved back? She was sleeping with a married man abroad and got caught by the wife. She had nowhere else to go.”

“You have any idea how many guys here she’s been with? How many of us she strung along at the same time?”

“You’re a goddamn fool, Declan.”

The room erupted. Harper screamed — a raw, cornered sound — tears already pouring down her face.

“You’re lying!”

“This was Elena — she put you up to this! That bitch told you to say all of this, didn’t she?!”

She clutched Declan’s arm, her voice cracking. “Declan, please. Don’t believe him…”

Declan didn’t answer. He stood there like the floor had dropped out from under him and he couldn’t find his footing.

Before he could process any of it, the police walked in. The officer in front went straight for Harper.

“Harper? You’re under arrest for the intentional endangerment of a minor. We’ve got physical evidence and witness testimony. You need to come with us.”

Harper’s mother crumpled. Her father grabbed the back of a chair to keep himself standing. “What have you done?! What in God’s name have you done?!”

“What? Poison — I never poisoned anyone!” Harper’s eyes darted sideways. She took a step back without realizing it.

The officer didn’t indulge her. “We have hospital security footage and medical records showing a pattern of repeated harm. Put your hands behind your back.”

Before she could protest, another file loaded in the family group chat. Declan tapped play, and everything clicked.

Harper shook her head wildly. “No! I didn’t — you were there, Declan! I just gave the kid some goat milk, that’s it! I wasn’t trying to hurt her! And that bitch actually called the cops on me?!”

“Declan, tell them! Tell them I didn’t do anything! You have to help me!”

Goat milk.

The words hit Declan like a freight train. His legs nearly gave out.

“Goat milk?! You fed her goat milk?!” His voice cracked. “She’s deathly allergic, Harper! You know that!”

Mia was born premature. She had a severe, life-threatening dairy allergy from day one. Goat milk, cow’s milk — any dairy could kill her.

She’d ended up in the ICU once before after accidentally swallowing some. She almost didn’t make it. Declan sat outside the ICU all night, sleepless, blaming himself for weeks after.

After that, every dairy product in the house was gone. He’d baby-proofed everything. And still — his blind devotion to Harper had nearly gotten his daughter killed.

On the screen, Harper had Mia by the chin, fingers digging in, pouring an entire carton of warmed goat milk down her throat.

The baby’s face was bright red, gasping for air, formula sputtering from her lips, choking too hard to even scream. Cold sweat ran down Declan’s back. The horror of what almost happened hit him all at once.

“What the hell happened to you, Harper?” His voice broke. “She’s a year old. She can’t even talk yet. I thought you were just careless — I never thought you’d actually hurt a child.”

And then it came back to him — the hospital. Elena sitting alone outside the NICU doors, waiting, while he was nowhere to be found.

Everything hit him at once, cold and sharp, like waking up from a dream he should’ve ended a long time ago. Harper was crying, grabbing at him, talking — and for the first time in his life, he didn’t care. He didn’t stop. He didn’t fix it for her.

He drove home like a man on fire, weaving through traffic, blowing through red lights.

He threw the front door open.

The house was empty.