This chapter is dedicated to a fellow DV writer CJLaurence. Her story 'Retribution' is also about healing and recovery - I can only recommend it.

6 - Uncomfortable Questions

Charlotte's POV

Our fight for Noah started even before he was born. In hindsight, filing for custody was probably Ryan's attempt to keep me invested in our marriage - without it, I would have left him after Rena's trial. He could no longer threaten me to alienate me from my son and for the first time in my life, I had the prospects of my own money. Brent had died without a will and I was to inherit a healthy portion of his trust fund. That could have given me a fresh start in a foreign country where Ryan had no pull and there was nothing else to keep confined to my prison - except for my grandson.

I played right into his hands when he came home a few days after Rena's sentencing, announcing that 'there was no way in hell he will allow for his grandkid to be raised by this murderer'. Those words were bait I couldn't resist.

Four days later, we sat across from Tivon Goldstein, a top notch lawyer for family law in Chicago. Ryan briefed him on the situation while my eyes were stuck to the back of the picture frame on his desk, wondering what his family looked like. I had been instructed not to talk - this was mere men's business.

When Ryan was finished, I dared to glance at Tivon. He was leaning back in his chair, his long fingers resting on his lips. With fine chiselled features and his tanned face, he was kind of handsome, but in a totally different way from Ryan. My husband considered someone like him a wimp since Tivon's body lacked serious muscle tissue.

After a moment of silence, Tivon picked up a pen and pulled his yellow notepad closer. "Well, grandparents' rights in Illinois are very limited. Under normal circumstances, you couldn't even ask for visitation, but since the father of the child is deceased, there are exceptions. Now, what's the mother's name?"

"Rena Cooper."

The pen froze on the paper. "As in 'Miss Slice and Dice'?"

His words were a cruel reminder of the way Brent had died and I couldn't help for tears to pool in my eyes when I silently nodded.

He noticed how insensitive his words must have sounded. "I apologize, I didn't mean to upset you."

"Do you know about the case?" Ryan asked.

Tivon's full attention shifted back to my husband. "I believe almost every attorney in Illinois followed this case closely. Personally, I found the sentence appalling and was not convinced by the negating evidence. The Deputy State's Attorney who handled the case is one of my clients and we discussed the trial on a few occasions. The girl seems pretty messed up and I can't blame you for not wanting your grandchild to grow up in this type of environment."

I cleared my throat and all eyes landed on me. "So, do you think we can win?" My voice was slightly shaking after Ryan gave me a murderous look. Speaking up like this would have some serious consequences.

Tivon's smile was courteous. "I'm pretty certain you'll get some type of visitation, but custody will be tough. You'll have to prove that the mother is unfit and that it will be in the child's best interest to live with you. It'll work in your favor that she is single and you have a stable marriage, but that alone won't be enough. It would be ideal if she violated probation and went to prison. This would greatly increase your chances."

Ryan's forehead wrinkled and I was sure he was already scheming how to help matters along. "Four years is a long time."

"It is," Tivon confirmed. "And given her age, the odds are against her. She is bound to slip up sooner or later, plus the demands of motherhood will be brutal. Yet, you still need to catch her in the act."

Ryan puckered his lips. "What would you advise?"

Tivon glanced at me. "If money isn't an issue, you should hire a private investigator to follow her around."

I kept my mouth shut, deep down in utter turmoil. His suggestion was not only stalking, but we were setting Rena up for the fall. Ryan would expose even the slightest sign of weakness to the world and take any opportunity to trip her up. In a way, she didn't deserve better since she had killed my son, but as a mother, I felt a tinge of guilt for trying to take her baby away by putting her behind bars.

Throughout the trial I had watched her with very mixed feelings. On one hand, I had hated her for taking away Brent's future, yet when evidence had surfaced of his abuse, I couldn't help but sympathize to a degree. Her testimony had been disturbing when she had recalled the horrible abuse and some of Brent's behavior had made me cringe. How could such a gentle and fragile boy have ever turned into the monster she had described? A part of me hadn't even known him.

Ryan had ranted and raged, claiming she was totally exaggerating, but I had believed her. The pain and distress on her face had just been too vivid to fake. We had a huge fight on the day of her sentencing when I had wanted to apologize to her for what Brent had done, but Ryan had found the idea preposterous. He had silenced me with a punch to the mouth and had forced me to stay at the hotel. When Rena had gotten away without prison time, he had blamed me and I had felt the belt as soon as he had returned from court.

He also didn't share my reservations about the private investigator. "Actually, I like the idea. That way, we'll also know when she gives birth and whether she is sleeping around."

Tivon nodded. "It could be helpful in many ways." His eyes came to rest on me and I lowered my gaze, twitching in my chair under his stare. "Now, to you two. Are there any skeletons in your closet I should know about? This conversation is protected under the lawyer client privilege, so you can be truthful."

I glanced at Ryan whose eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you mean by skeletons?"

Tivon tapped the pen against the edge of the desk, staring at me once more before turning back to Ryan. "During Miss Cooper's trial, there was a lot of talk about domestic abuse. She might allege something similar between you two and I need to know if there is any truth to that to nip it in the butt."

Ryan's arms fold in front of his chest. "There were times in our marriage when I had to discipline my wife, but nothing out of the extraordinary."

The tapping continued, Tivon's eyes back on me. "What about your son? Did you discipline him, too?"

Ryan's jaw was clenched so tightly that I thought it would break. "Children misbehave and get punished. That's natural, don't you think?"

The tapping stopped when a sigh ran across Tivon's lips. "Look, Mr. Parks, truthfully, I don't care what's going on in your house behind closed doors - it's really none of my business." There was pity in his eyes when he glanced at me again. "Yet, as your lawyer, I need to know these things since domestic violence is an important consideration in custody matters and I need to be prepared. I have worked in family law for close to twenty five years and I can tell that your wife is totally intimidated by you which could become an issue."

Ryan took in a sharp breath, but Tivon's raised hand stopped him.

"Like I said, that's between you two. I'm only concerned about the evidence and what the other side can prove. Has Miss Cooper ever witnessed any physical confrontation between you?"

Ryan glared at him, his bottom lip trembling. "I believe it will be best to end this conversation right here."

Tivon cupped his hands behind his head, a smug smile on his lips. "That's totally up to you." A chuckle escaped his throat. "I know you don't like me right now and that's fine - I don't give a rat's ass if you hire me or not. Under normal circumstances, I would have told you already to get the hell out of my office because personally, I don't care for wife beaters. Yet, this will be a challenging high profile case, but that's the only reason why I'm even interested."

Ryan was on his feet, his hands balled to fists. I feared he was going to attack Tivon at any second. The lawyer sat straight as a stick in his chair, his hand moving towards the intercom on his phone.

"I don't have to listen to this!" Ryan shouted, red spots on his face. "How dare you accuse me of abusing my wife?" His finger shot towards me. "Tell him, Charlotte! Tell him that I've never done such a thing!"

Heat crawled up my neck and into my cheeks - I didn't remember ever being more embarrassed. Ryan's behavior was horrendous, but then again, no one had ever challenged him before.

"Well -." The words failed me. I had no clue how to convince Tivon that Ryan had never hit me. Anything that came to mind sounded like a lame excuse or totally unbelievable.

Ryan's eyes narrowed to small slits when I didn't continue. "Let's go, Charlotte."

There was no doubt on my mind that I would feel his wrath back at the hotel. We were almost at the door when Tivon called us back.

"Mr. Parks."

Ryan span around, his whole body shaking.

"You should keep in mind that every attorney in this state will ask you those questions eventually, at least those who know what they are doing. I'm still the best lawyer around and maybe your only chance to get custody of your grandchild."

Ryan puffed out some incomprehensible words which didn't faze Tivon one bit. He had reclaimed his relaxed position, hands tucked behind his head.

A small smile played on his lips, yet his eyes sparkled with scorn. "Feel free to reschedule with my secretary after you have calmed down and talked it over with your wife."

"That'll never happen," Ryan snapped through gritted teeth.

Before he was able to slam the door, I caught one more glimpse at Tivon behind his desk. Though I knew I would pay dearly for his stunt, I couldn't help but admire his courage. He was the first man who had given my abusive husband a piece of his mind, and I was more than thrilled to have witnessed Ryan's defeat.

xxxx

Ryan cut into me as soon as we got back to the hotel room.

"What the hell was that?" he shouted, his eyes black as the night. "First, you practically threw yourself at his feet like a slut, and afterwards, you hung me out to dry. You are my wife, for crying out loud, and should have defended me!"

He walked towards me and I edged backwards, my chin pointed forward in revolt. "Do you think this guy is stupid? He knows you have been beating me for years and wouldn't have believed otherwise, no matter what I had said."

His backhand collided hard with my cheekbone. "You fucking bitch. I told you a thousand times not to talk back to me."

My eyes teared as the pain crawled up my temple, my face on fire. I tried to drop to the floor and curl up into a ball, but he got a hold of my hair and tossed me on the bed. "I swear I'll teach you to behave next time."

His punch hit me in the side of my head, a shockwave of pain resonating in my brain. With a whimper, I tried to crawl off the bed, yet another blow just above my ear stopped me. Pulsing blood rushed through my head as the room began to blur in front of my eyes. Instinctively, my face cradled into the crook of my elbows.

He grabbed me by my shirt collar and pulled me off the bed. A well-aimed kick in the center of my back robbed me of my breath. My whole body throbbed, but the commands to get me to safety did not translate to my limbs. The next kick was to my kidneys. I yelped and doubled over, protecting the soreness.

There was an impatient rap on the door. "This is hotel security. Is everything alright in there?"

Ryan moved away from me. "Yes, we're all good."

The knocking was insistent. "Could you please open the door, sir?"

His glare sent shivers down my spine. "Get into the bathroom, Charlotte." His words were hissed and spoken in haste. "I'll take care of this."

My body was shaking as I dragged myself across the floor.

"Hurry." Ryan's command was almost drowned out by the security guard banging against the door.

"Sir, we are required by law to check on you. If you don't open the door, I'll have to use the hotel's master key."

"Just a second, I'll be right there." Ryan's arm slid under my chest. He pulled me inside the bathroom and closed the door on his way out.

Just a moment later, muffled footsteps filled the suite. "Another guest heard loud shouting and signs of a physical altercation." The voice was sharp and unyielding.

I tried to pull myself up, but my legs buckled. On the second attempt, I managed to stay on my knees, my burning cheek resting against the cool tiles. My focus was on my breathing - in, out, in, out - always in the same even rhythm.

Ryan cleared his throat. "I apologize, but we must have had the TV too loud. It won't happen again."

There was a moment of silence. "Where is your wife, Mr. Parks?"

"She is in the bathroom." I could practically see Ryan fuming behind that door.

There was a brief knock. "Mrs. Parks, are you in there?"

I forced myself on my feet. The breathing had eased my pain and at least my body functions were back under my command. With a frown, I observed the damage in the mirror. My cheek was red and swollen, my make up smudged from my tears. I looked a total mess.

A tissue dabbed the black streaks away and I wrapped a towel around my head like a turban. The bruise was now fully concealed and my torn blouse hidden when I slid into the bathrobe. It was show time.

When I opened the bathroom door, a giant of a man gave me a good once over. He was dressed in a dark uniform that was almost as black as his skin and even Ryan looked scrawny next to him.

His fingers tipped his cap. "Is everything okay, ma'am?"

I nodded. "Yes, thank you. I was just about to take a shower. Do you need anything?"

His eyes narrowed slightly and he glanced at Ryan. The silence that followed was nerve-wracking. Ryan tapped his foot, his glare demanding for the guy to get out of his face, but he didn't move.

Ryan finally had enough. "Is there anything else we can assist you with? Otherwise, we would appreciate some privacy."

One more look around the room. "No, sir, that would be all. I apologize for the intrusion."

Ryan grumbled something under his breath and ushered him out the suite. I slammed the bathroom door shut and locked myself in. My husband left me be, damn well knowing that the security guy would be back if he caused any more havoc.

For the next half hour, I sobbed into the soft cotton of the bathrobe. My whole body was sore. I finally decided to take a cool shower to nurse my bruises and afterwards, settle down for the evening. My stomach was upset and nausea had killed my appetite - all I wanted was a bottle of water from the minibar and some pain medication to get me through the night. I would feel worse tomorrow but would deal with it then.

When I walked back into the bedroom, Ryan had left, probably to get himself something to eat. I was expected to order room service if I was hungry - that had always been our routine when my bruised face had prevented me from going into the public.

With a sigh, I stretched out on the bed and turned on the TV after pumping myself full of painkillers. By the time he got back, I was sound asleep. In the morning, both of us would not mention tonight's incident - ignoring our problems had always been our coping mechanism as long as I could remember. It had just been a normal night in the Park's household.

More of Charlotte's struggle plus you got a glimpse at our new sidekick Tivon Goldstein. How did you like him? He is definitely not someone who can be fooled so easily. I also hinted at some information you may have missed: "The Deputy State's Attorney who handled the case is one of my clients..." - meaning he is also Marcus's attorney in his case against Chantal.

I hope you liked this chapter. Let me have your thoughts and please vote if you felt the chapter deserved it. Thanks for reading.