Chapter 4: The Custody Trial and the Secret About the Hidden Camera
The custody trial between Jake and Emily lasted three weeks, and it was one of the most difficult things Jake had ever been through. He sat in the courtroom every day, watching Emily’s lawyer try to paint her as a victim, as a woman who’d been struggling with mental health issues, who’d been abused by Ryan, who’d not known what she was doing when she’d poisoned Toby and Lila. He also watched Emily’s lawyer try to discredit Jake, trying to paint him as a neglectful father, who’d been too busy with work to pay attention to his family, who’d missed all the signs that something was wrong with Emily. Jake felt a wave of rage wash over him every time Emily’s lawyer said those things, every time she tried to make him look like a bad father, every time she tried to make Emily look like a victim. He’d been busy with work, yes, but he’d never thought that he’d be accused of being a neglectful father, that he’d be accused of not paying attention to his family, that he’d be accused of missing all the signs that something was wrong with Emily. He thought about the way he’d spent every night after work with his family, about the way he’d taken Toby and Lila to soccer practice and ballet lessons every week, about the way he’d cooked dinner for Emily and the kids every night, about the way he’d tried to be the best father and husband he could be. He’d been wrong about Emily, yes, but he’d never been a neglectful father, never been a bad husband, never missed all the signs that something was wrong with her. One day, during the trial, Emily’s lawyer called a witness to the stand, a woman named Dr. Carter, who was a psychiatrist who’d evaluated Emily after the poisoning. Dr. Carter told the courtroom that Emily had been struggling with severe depression and anxiety for years, that she’d been abusing alcohol and prescription medications for years, that she’d not known what she was doing when she’d poisoned Toby and Lila, that she’d been in a state of dissociative fugue when she’d done it. Jake felt a wave of rage wash over him, and he stood up, yelling at Dr. Carter, telling her that she was lying, that Emily had known exactly what she was doing, that she’d poisoned her own children to get attention, to get help, to escape from her own pain. The judge ordered Jake to sit down, warning him that he’d be held in contempt of court if he continued to disrupt the trial. Jake sat down, his hands shaking, as he listened to Dr. Carter continue to talk about Emily’s mental health issues, about the way she’d been struggling with depression and anxiety for years, about the way she’d not known what she was doing when she’d poisoned Toby and Lila. Just then, Linda stood up, telling the judge that she had a witness who could prove that Emily had known exactly what she was doing when she’d poisoned Toby and Lila, that she’d been in contact with Ryan in the weeks leading up to the poisoning, that he’d helped her get the oxycodone prescription, that he’d told her how to poison the kids, that he’d been planning to run away with her after the poisoning. Linda called Ryan to the stand, and he told the courtroom everything, about the way he’d been in contact with Emily in the weeks leading up to the poisoning, about the way she’d asked him to help her poison Toby and Lila, about the way she’d told him that she wanted to scare them a little, to make Jake notice her, to make him come back to her. He also told the courtroom about the way Emily had given him the oxycodone pills, about the way she’d told him to put them in the kids’ lemonade, about the way she’d waited for him to leave the house before she’d called the police, about the way she’d lied to Jake and to the police, about the way she’d tried to make it look like a stranger had done it. Jake felt a wave of relief wash over him, as he listened to Ryan tell the courtroom the truth, as he heard him admit that Emily had known exactly what she was doing when she’d poisoned Toby and Lila, that she’d not been suffering from a mental health issue, that she’d not been in a state of dissociative fugue when she’d done it. He thought about the way Emily had lied to him, about the way she’d poisoned his kids, about the way she’d tried to make it look like a stranger had done it, and he knew that he’d never be able to forgive her. But he also knew that he’d won the custody trial, that he’d get full custody of Toby and Lila, that he’d keep them safe, that he’d never let Emily or Ryan near them ever again. A few days later, the judge announced his decision, awarding Jake full custody of Toby and Lila, ordering Emily to serve 10 years in prison for the attempted murder of her own children, ordering Ryan to serve 8 years in prison for his role in the poisoning. Jake felt a wave of relief wash over him, as he heard the judge’s decision, as he hugged Toby and Lila, as he told them that everything was going to be okay, that he’d never let anyone hurt them ever again. He thought about the way he’d spent the last few months fighting for his kids, about the way he’d worked with Linda to build a case against Emily and Ryan, about the way he’d talked to Toby and Lila, helping them prepare to testify in court, helping them find the strength to face their mother and her ex-boyfriend in a courtroom. He’d been wrong about Emily, yes, but he’d never given up on his kids, never given up on his family, never stopped fighting for them. Over the next few months, Jake and Toby and Lila started to heal, starting to build a new life together, starting to forget about the pain and the trauma of the past. Jake went back to work at Marlow Properties, but he made sure to set aside more time for his family, taking Toby and Lila to soccer practice and ballet lessons every week, cooking dinner for them every night, going on family vacations every summer. He also started attending therapy sessions himself, to help him work through the grief and the anger, to help him learn to trust again, to help him find the strength to move forward with his life. One day, while he was cleaning out the attic, Jake found a hidden camera that he’d installed in the living room a few months before the poisoning, to keep an eye on the kids while he was at work. He’d forgotten about the camera, had never thought to check it, until now. He plugged the camera into his computer, and he watched the footage from the day before the poisoning, watching Emily as she made lemonade for Toby and Lila, watching her as she poured a white powder into the glass, watching her as she handed the glass to Toby and Lila, watching her as she smiled at them, as she told them that she loved them, as she told them that it was just a special drink. Jake felt a wave of rage wash over him, as he watched the footage, as he saw Emily poison his own children, as he saw her lie to him and to the police, as he saw her try to make it look like a stranger had done it. He deleted the footage, deleting all the files from his computer, as he promised himself that he’d never let anyone hurt his kids ever again, that he’d always be there for them, that he’d always protect them, that he’d always love them. He thought about the way he’d spent the last few months fighting for his kids
