Page 48 of Perfect Chemistry

“Your honor! This is outrageous!” My lawyer shouted.

Timothy’s lawyer smiled politely, “Your honor, these are the paternity test results conducted at the child’s two week well baby check, at which my client was present as the father.”

I felt the bile rising in my stomach. I was a fucking green hat wearing idiot. “You are the cruelest fucking woman I have ever met in my life,” I whispered, staring Jenny in the eyes.

“Your honor, I want to file a criminal complaint for fraud against my estranged wife,” I stated calmly.

My lawyer patted my hand and passed the red folder down to the judge. “Your honor, attached are the appointment notes for every well-baby check of Heather Rayburn. As you can see clearly, Mrs. Rayburn, clearly wrote the name of the child’s father as my client, Kai Rayburn. The insurance was billed to my client’s plan, as you can see here,” he paused, passing another dossier to the lawyer.

The judge reviewed the two files, then placed them in the pile with the stack she had carried into the room. “Clear the gallery,” she ordered the bailiff.

The uniformed man by the door began ushering my family and the others out of the room. Before the door closed, she looked at Timothy and his lawyer, “That includes you. Get out.”

Timothy looked like he wanted to say something, but was stopped by his lawyer. When the door closed the judge was quiet for a moment. “I have seen all that I need to see in this matter. Council, are your clients prepared to hear my findings?”

My lawyer looked at me and I nodded, “Yes, your honor.”

He had warned me that something like this would happen. It was not uncommon for a female judge to side with a mother without hearing the father’s side of the story.

Jenny’s lawyer answered for her as well, looking more hopeful than I was. “She is, your honor.”

“Quite frankly, I don’t even know where to begin with this onion. Mrs Rayburn, you knowingly went against medical advice to the detriment of your child’s health. You withheld the paternity of the child from your legal husband, and the listed father of the child according to state vital statistics records. You fraudulently presented another man as your husband, and allowed him to sign as your husband for medical decisions pertaining to the child, Heather Rayburn.

“In addition, when your legal husband, Mr Kai Rayburn attempted to seek treatment for the child, you blocked his every effort by use of psychological abuse, emotional blackmail, and physical barriers,” the judge stopped when Jenny’s lawyer interrupted her.

“Objection, your honor. That is speculative hearsay,” he opined.

The judge slid a file down to Jenny’s lawyer. “This is a transcript of messages between the Rayburns for the past two years and three months. Mr Rayburn relinquished his mobile device to law enforcement as evidence in the wrongful death of his child. Forensics confirmed the messages from ‘Wife,’ originated from your client’s device.”

Jenny and her lawyer flipped through the records. Her face paled significantly as they neared the last page. I had no idea what she had sent in the last few weeks, and I didn’t care.

“My decision is for the plaintiff, Mr. Kai Rayburn. I am upholding the no contact order, and ordering Mrs Rayburn to 10 days in holding for violation of the no contact order she received eight days ago. In the matter of dissolution of the marriage, I am finding for the plaintiff, or the condition of irreconcilable differences.”

She went on to say that she would be forwarding everything to the district attorney’s office for criminal charges against Jenny and Timothy. I had to serve 20 hours of anger management training for slapping Jenny in the hospital. I didn’t want to sit in that room any more. I was struggling to breathe, and I needed to get away from here.

“Your honor, brief recess?” my lawyer asked as I bolted out of my seat.

“Yes, we’ll reconvene in…thirty?” she asked.

“Yes, thank-”

I didn’t hear the rest, because I was stumbling out the door. I needed to breathe. I was having a panic attack. I felt two arms grab me, and I swung to fight them off.

My brother’s voice immediately filled my ears, “I got you, bro. Let it out. I got you.”

I hugged him and the flood gates just broke. I sobbed. I sobbed for the woman who betrayed me. I sobbed for the child I thought was mine. I sobbed for myself, the broken man who was duped, lied to, used, and betrayed by the person closest to him. I let it all out.

I was officially a broken man. I had nothing left in me when I returned to the courtroom. My eyes were so puffy from crying, I could barely see. I felt empty at that moment. I didn’t hear any of the remaining judgments. I didn’t listen to anything that Jenny or her lawyer had to say.

It didn’t matter to me anymore. Heather was never my child. Jenny only married me to raise another man’s child. She had never been faithful. She had never been in love with me. The past three years were all in my head. I might as well have imagined all of it.

“Kai,” my lawyer broke through my thoughts.

“They want to seal these records. Do you agree?” he asked calmly.

“No. I do not concur. I want them publicly available, according to state law in the matter of divorce proceedings,” I deadpanned.

“Kai,” Jenny spoke up.

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