Chapter 6
A week later, inside the court mediation room, the air hung thick and oppressive.
Julia sat on one side of the long table, expressionless.
Beside her was John, calm and composed as always.
Across from them sat Mark and his lawyer.
Mark looked a little worn out after just a few days, but his eyes were burning with resentment and a cold confidence.
He probably thought he had the upper hand.
The mediator, a middle-aged woman, tried to ease the tension in the room.
"Mr. and Mrs. Evans, you two were once married. There's no need for things to escalate this far..."
Mark's lawyer jumped in before anyone else could speak, his voice loud and aggressive.
"Your Honor, it's not that we wanted things to come to this.
"My client has been suffering under tremendous emotional pressure for so long.
"As a wife and mother, Mrs. Evans has completely neglected her family, thrown herself into her work, and shifted all the responsibility of caring for both children onto my client.
"Not long ago, she left home for days on end, claiming it was for work, and didn't even bother to check in on my client or the kids.
"My client was simply unable to care for both children at once, so, as a last resort, he temporarily placed his stepdaughter in an orphanage. He did it solely out of concern for her safety.
"But when Mrs. Evans returned, instead of understanding my client's situation, she completely lost control, stormed into the orphanage, and forcibly took the child away. To this day, we still don't know where she is.
"We have every reason to believe that Mrs. Evans' current mental state is no longer fit to raise a child."
Every word was a lie, twisting black into white.
Julia's fist was clenched tight under the table.
Mark kept nodding, acting like he was the one who'd been wronged.
"Everything I said is true. I've sacrificed so much for this family, but she never cared..."
After listening to their statement, a faint, barely perceptible cold smirk tugged at the corner of John's mouth.
He waited until they finished, then slowly pulled out the first document and placed it gently on the table.
"So, Mr. Evans claims Mrs. Evans threw herself into her work and neglected her family?
"Here's proof of Mrs. Evans' resignation from her previous company, and her bank statements covering the three years since their marriage.
"These documents make it crystal clear that Mrs. Evans left her job three years ago to take care of her family, becoming a full-time homemaker.
"Since marriage, she hasn't received a single paycheck. All her expenses have been paid for by transfers from Mr. Evans.
"So, tell me, how can someone with no job throw herself into her work?"
Mark's lawyer's expression faltered for a split second.
Not missing a beat, John pulled out a second document.
"And Mr. Evans says he was overwhelmed by the burden of raising two kids all on his own?
"Here's a breakdown of all the major expenses from their marriage, laid out in black and white.
"Ryan had piano lessons at 300 dollars a pop, and horseback riding lessons at 400 dollars each.
"He wore the latest limited-edition sneakers and played with the newest game console.
"Meanwhile, Chloe only went to a basic dance class at the local community center, and her clothes and shoes cost no more than 100 dollars in total.
"So that is what Mr. Evans calls being 'overwhelmed'?"
Mark's face flushed an ugly, dark red.
"You... you're spouting nonsense! That's slander!"
John didn't even glance at him. He pushed the third file toward the mediator.
"This is an official medical report on Chloe from the city's top children's hospital," He said, putting extra weight on the word "official."
"The report states that after spending two days at the orphanage with no one to care for her, terrified and alone, Chloe has developed obvious symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
"She's also showing mild symptoms of malnutrition and dehydration.
"So, Mr. Evans, is this what you call 'out of concern for her safety'?"
The mediator frowned deeply as she read the report, shooting Mark a look of clear disapproval.
Mark panicked. He hadn't expected Julia to go this far. She even had the hospital report ready to go.
"That... that was only temporary! I was going to get her back soon!" He babbled his defense incoherently.
"Oh, really?" John smiled.
He pulled out one last sheet of A4 paper, on which was a printed, enlarged photo. It was the very screenshot Julia had found in the cloud drive.
"Mr. Evans, before we discuss when you were planning to bring Chloe home, could you explain this?
"This is a lease you signed online for a one‑bedroom apartment while Mrs. Evans was away on business.
"The lease start date falls exactly on the day after you planned to confront Mrs. Evans and file for divorce.
"So you'd already secured a place to live on your own, but now you're telling us you only put Chloe in the orphanage 'temporarily'?"
That photo hit the mediation room like a bombshell, detonating in the cramped space.
Mark stared at it like he'd been struck by lightning. His face went ghostly pale, and he broke out in a cold sweat.
All his pretenses and every last one of his lies were shattered to pieces in that moment.
His true colors finally showed.
Mark, humiliated and furious, completely lost it. He pointed at Julia, shouting at her in a blind rage.
"Julia! You bitch! You set me up!
"Don't even think about getting a single penny from me! The house, the car, you're getting nothing! I won't give you a penny!"
His screaming echoed, painfully loud in the quiet meditation room.
His lawyer frantically tried to pull him back, but Mark was completely out of control.
Calm as ever, John took out his phone, pressed the record button, and captured every threat and insult.
Julia didn't say a single word the whole time.
She just gave Mark a cold, hard stare, as if he were nothing but a disgusting stranger.
When he finally ran out of breath and stopped, Julia slowly got to her feet. Her eyes were calm and lifeless, no anger, no sadness, just a cold, silent loathing.
She turned to John. "Mr. Carter, let's go. There's no point in trying to mediate with someone like him. I'll see him in court."
With that, she turned and walked out, her back straight, not a hint of regret, not even a glance back.