Harrison turned toward Vivienne.
She stared straight ahead.
The judge’s expression sharpened.
“Is Ms.
Shaw a witness?”
Dana nodded.
“If necessary.”
Frank asked for a recess.
Judge Ellis granted ten minutes.
The moment the courtroom door closed behind them, Harrison confronted Vivienne in the consultation room.
“Did you block Lena?”
Vivienne placed her handbag on the table with deliberate care.
“You wanted distance from her.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“You told me you were finished.”
“Did you block her number?”
Vivienne’s control finally cracked.
“I was protecting you.”
Harrison stared at her.
The words seemed to drain the last uncertainty from the room.
“From my pregnant wife?”
“We didn’t know she was pregnant.”
“She was trying to tell me.”
“She was always trying to pull you back into something.
You were miserable.
You said every conversation became another argument.”
“So you decided which conversations I was allowed to have?”
Vivienne’s voice rose.
“You were leaving her for me.
What did you expect me to do, help her save your marriage?”
Frank closed his eyes briefly.
Harrison didn’t move.
“Was the envelope you?”
Vivienne hesitated.
That hesitation answered him before she spoke.
“I told the house staff that legal communications should go through your attorney.”
“It had my name on it.”
“I thought she was manipulating you.”
Harrison gave a short, broken laugh that contained no humor.
“She was telling me I had a son.”
Vivienne reached for his arm.
He stepped away.
When court resumed, Frank informed the judge that Harrison would not contest Lena’s evidence showing repeated attempts to contact him.
Dana watched him closely.
“And the blocking?”
Frank paused.
“Mr.
Vale does not claim that Mrs.
Vale failed to make reasonable efforts to notify him.”
It was carefully worded, but everyone understood what had changed during the recess.
Vivienne sat behind Harrison now instead of beside him.
The distance was only a few feet.
It looked enormous.
Judge Ellis entered temporary custody orders designed around Noah’s age.
Lena would remain the baby’s primary residential parent.
Harrison would begin with short, regular visits and increase them gradually if the child adjusted well.
