I Saw My Cruel Stepmom Future And Changed It All Chapter 08

I Saw My Cruel Stepmom Future And Changed It All Chapter 08

I headed straight to Wynne’s law firm first thing the next morning.

Her expression shifted from amused disbelief to dead serious once I laid out the full story, then she let out a heavy sigh.

“Elowen, I need to lay all the legal facts out plain for you.”

“A legal stepmother has no legal standing to file for child custody on her own.”

“Unless one of two things happens-either Jasper’s biological father formally names you legal guardian, or we provide hard evidence the birth mother is unfit to raise him.”

“Examples of unfit conduct include parental abandonment, documented abuse, or any

environment that severely harms the child’s mental health.”

“Parental abandonment,” I repeated.

“She voluntarily left when Jasper turned three, and cut all contact for two full years straight. Does that count?”

“There’s room to argue the case in court,” Wynne thought it over.

“But her legal team will argue she left under duress, or there was a verbal separation agreement

between her and Kaelen.”

“What if I can prove the real reason she vanished back then?”

“What’s the truth?”

“She ran off with another man, Damon Veyra.”

Wynne’s eyes lit up instantly.

“If we have tangible proof of that voluntary elopement, this is clear-cut parental abandonment. Her whole narrative crumbles. Do you have evidence yet?”

“Not yet, but I’ll track it down no matter what.”

I’d barely stepped out of the law firm parking lot when my phone rang, the caller ID reading Ms.

Thorne.

Her voice sounded hesitant and stressed through the line.

“Miss Voss, a woman brought her state ID and Jasper’s birth certificate and demanded to take him, but daycare policy requires a signed court order for non-custodial parents to pick up a child.”

She showed the staff her state ID and Jasper’s birth certificate.”

My blood pressure spiked instantly.

“You didn’t let her take him, right?”

“We held firm, our official authorized pick-up list only has your name and the chauffeur’s contact

on file.”

“But she grew furious and threatened to file a formal complaint against our learning center.”

“Leave the authorized pick-up list unchanged permanently,” I told her firmly.

“No person besides myself is permitted to take Jasper off school grounds, no exceptions.”

“Understood, I’ll log this instruction in our official records.”

I hung up the call and drove directly to the preschool drop-off plaza.

Seraphina leaned against a white premium sport coupe while chatting on her phone, her face tight

with frustration.

She hung up the second my car pulled to a stop and walked over to my driver’s window.

“Did you tell the preschool staff to bar me from picking up my own son?”

“That was me,” I stepped out of my sedan to face her without backing down.

“Your name never appeared on the authorized pick-up registry.”

“He’s my child,” Seraphina’s soft act dropped completely, sharp and bitter now.

“What right does a stepmother have to block me from seeing my own flesh and blood?”

“The right of someone who’s comforted him through two years of nightly nightmares where he cries for me, while you never once showed your face.”

I stepped closer to her, no trace of friendliness left in my tone.

What are you truly after by coming back here, Seraphina? Do you genuinely want your son, or

something else tied to the Hale fortune?”

Her pupils shrank for a split second, a flash of panic she covered up in the blink of an eye.

“You’re talking nonsense,” she let out a cold scoff.

“I only want back what’s mine.”

“Then we’ll settle this in family court.”

I turned and walked back into the preschool building.

Her cold jab followed me from behind.

“Do you honestly think Kaelen will side with you, Miss Voss? You’re nothing more than a bargaining chip his family took to settle a debt. Don’t inflate your own importance.”

I didn’t glance back, but my palms were slick with nervous sweat.

She was telling the truth.

Kaelen wouldn’t stand with me.

But I didn’t need his support to protect Jasper.

I picked Jasper up and we rode home in complete silence the whole drive.

We pulled into the manor driveway, and he suddenly tugged hard on my wrist.

That woman came to the preschool today.”

“I know, she didn’t get to see you though, right?”

“Mm-hmm, but Dad said I need to sit down and eat a meal with her sometime soon.”

I knelt to match his eye level.

Do you wanna go have dinner with her?”

He shook his head so hard his hair flopped all over his forehead.

“Then we won’t go. No one can force you to do something you hate. I’ll talk this over with your

dad.”

He stared up at me, a mix of complete trust and quiet worry swimming in his eyes.

Are you gonna get into a fight with him over me?”

I laughed softly at his innocent worry.

“No physical fights, just a serious conversation.”

“Will you win the argument?”

“I will.”

He hesitated a second, then dug a crumpled pack of fruit gummies out of his jacket pocket and

pressed one into my palm.

The candy was partially melted and stuck to its wrapper.

Eat this, it’ll give you strength to argue.”

My throat burned with emotion, my eyes stinging.

“Thank you, baby.”

A tiny, rare smile tugged at his mouth, revealing the empty gap where one front tooth had fallen

out.

[This single candy melted my heart completely.]

[trauma healing progress tracker: 75%]

That evening I sat in my bedroom sorting through all the legal documents Wynne had sent over, outlining ways to trace Seraphina’s movements over the past two years.

My bedroom door creaked open without a knock, and Kaelen stepped inside.

He leaned against the doorframe, the top two buttons of his collared shirt undone, faint whiskey scent clinging to his clothes like he’d been drinking earlier.

“Did you get into a confrontation with Seraphina at the preschool today?”

“No confrontation, I only reminded staff she’s not on the authorized pick-up list.”

“Elowen,” his voice dropped low, heavy with quiet pressure.

“I’ll say this one final time–don’t complicate matters further. Seraphina is Jasper’s birth mother,

she has every legal right to visit him.”

“Does Jasper have the right to refuse seeing someone who terrifies him?”

Kaelen walked fully into my bedroom, towering over me by nearly a foot, staring down from above.

“You’re pushing my limits.”

“Your limits?” I tilted my chin up to meet his gaze head-on.

Where exactly are those limits when your son sobs and begs not to meet that woman?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed once, and silence stretched between us for several beats.

“Why do you care about him this deeply?” he asked out of nowhere, confused.

“You only agreed to this marriage to clear your family’s outstanding financial obligations, and Jasper isn’t blood-related to you.”

“I know the reason for this marriage agreement to settle outstanding family debt,” I cut him off before he finished speaking.

“But human beings aren’t collateral to trade away.”

Now that I’m part of this household, Jasper is my child, blood or not.”

Kaelen studied my face for a long moment, then turned toward the bedroom doorway and

mid-step.

“I heard you’ve consulted a family law attorney about custody.”

My heart skipped a beat.

paused

Kaelen, if I can show hard proof she’s only after our family fortune instead of Jasper-who will you

back?”

His shoulders tensed rigidly, and he offered no verbal answer.

He pushed the bedroom door closed and left without another word-but he didn’t say no to my

question, either.

[He’s starting to doubt his own judgment!]

[Kaelen think carefully, don’t lose your son forever.]

[What proof did Elowen find next chapter?]

I locked my bedroom door and unlocked my phone, opening the message Wynne had just sent me.

Attached was a surveillance screenshot taken two years prior at Havenbrook International Airfield.

Seraphina linked arms tightly with Damon, both rolling large suitcases beside them, body language

unmistakably intimate.

Wynne’s text sat beneath the photo.

Confirmed. She didn’t separate from Kaelen out of hardship-she eloped with Damon heir to Veyra Global Trade Co. They lived overseas together for almost two full years.

Three months ago Veyra Global folded and Damon fled the country, which is exactly when she came crawling back to Hale Manor. She’s not here for the boy-only the Hale fortune.

I gripped my phone tight.

Seraphina, you’ve already lost this battle.