The Marriage Contract

Chapter 1

David

Slowly, I swipe the pictures on my phone.

I can’t help but smile. My son, Jamie, loves taking selfies whenever he gets his little hands on my phone. His cooky smiles and silly faces never fail to make me laugh.

I miss this ball of energy. Good thing I’m going to see him on Friday.

I look forward to the weekends because that’s the only time I get to be with him.

It’s been almost two years since my wife, I mean my ex-wife, and I separated. What I thought was a perfect relationship ended up in divorce. There were just too many things that we disagreed on that we were unable to live with each other anymore.

The entire process was quite messy and painful. A lot of things were thrown at each other, and both of us didn’t want to back down.

Everything was settled in around six months. Unfortunately, the most affected is our only son.

If there was one thing that I really fought for, it’s Jamie.

I got the best lawyers to make sure that he wouldn’t be taken away from me. I’ve got as much right to him as his mother does. I promised to abide by all the guidelines and be a good father so that I wouldn’t lose him.

Thankfully, the court granted us joint custody for Jamie so that he gets to spend time with both his mother and me. Since he goes to a school near her house, which is also part of the settlement, he spends weekdays with his mom.

I get to be with him Friday nights after work, Saturday, and Sunday morning. Then he’s back to his mom again.

I also get to spend time with Jamie if there are special occasions. During breaks and holidays, he splits his time between us. 

It must be taking a toll on him being juggled back and forth, but he’s a real trooper and doesn’t complain. That’s why I make sure that every bit of time we spend together is worth it. I may not be the perfect dad, but I try to be the best that I can be.

I lock my phone and put my focus back to work.

Being the founder and one of the partners of Tudor Ventures is no joke. Work seems endless, and at times, it can be overwhelming. I try to get as much work done as I can during the weekdays so that I could focus on Jamie on weekends.

I’m immersed in spreadsheets, reviewing the entries one by one. I know this is no longer part of my job, but I’m kind of meticulous when it comes to working. I don’t want a single detail to be missed out.

Out of the blue, my phone rings. I glance at the screen, and it shows my lawyer, Elias Riley, calling.

I answer it immediately. I’m sure he won’t be calling me if this isn’t urgent.

“Hello, Elias. What’s the matter?”

“Good day, David. I’ve got some important news to tell you. Is now a good time?”

“I’m actually in the middle of work. What’s this about?” I inquire.

“It’s about Valerie. And your son, Jamie.”

I close the spreadsheets. Jamie is more important than these.

“Go ahead. I’m all ears.”

Riley hesitates for a while as if he’s deciding how to relay the news. He clears his throat several times.

“Well, one of Valerie’s counsel contacted me earlier today. He told me that Valerie is filing for a petition to get sole custody of your son.”

I’m stunned. My whole world stopped for a while as I try to process the news. Is this for real?

“What? Why? I mean I’ve been complying with every detail of the agreement that we have. She doesn’t have any reason to do that. Does she?”

Riley makes a noncommittal sound. “She can do whatever she wants. What we need to do is build up our argument so that the courts will not judge in favor of her.”

“Do you know under what grounds she’s filing the sole custody?” I ask.

“According to the initial documents that were sent to me earlier, it’s because you’re a workaholic who’s hardly at home. That’s why you’re unfit to take care of Jamie.”

“That’s ridiculous! I only do that on weekdays when Jamie’s not with me.” I argue.

“Also, Valerie says that New York City is not the best city to raise a child in. She wants to settle down in Chicago where she says it’s more family-friendly.”

I feel my anger bubbling up. I used to love the simple, driven woman that Valerie was before. I wonder what happened to her to do these things.

I take a few deep breaths to calm myself.

“That’s just bullshit. We all know there’s one thing she’s really after, and that’s the reason why she wants sole custody of Jamie.”

My parents made sure that Jamie will grow up comfortably. After all, he’s their only grandchild. In their last will, they left a sizable amount for Jamie’s inheritance. This is in a form of a trust fund that Jamie will only have access to when he turns 21 years old.

I’m sure Valerie wants to take control of that, so he’s taking Jamie far away from me.

“That’s why we have to make sure that we got solid evidence to convince the court that you fit the definition of a good father. For starters, I suggest you start cutting down the time you spend in the office even if it’s weekdays,” Elias explains.

“I understand.”

“I’ve got a crazy idea. Why don’t you get married again? You could sway the judge in your favor if they can see that you’ve got a nice, stable relationship.”

I laugh out loud.

“That’s definitely crazy. And a terrible idea. I don’t want to go through marriage and get divorced again. I’m just going to make you rich.”

“Then that’s better for me then!”

We agree to set a meeting next week so that we can start planning our defense.

I’m not going to let Valerie win. I’ll make sure of that.