The judge nodded.
Todor turned to Sylvia and Mikhail.
— I don’t expect you to understand everything today. And I don’t expect you to forgive me for showing up from your mother’s past. But I want you to know the following: I’m not here for Elena’s money. I have my own funds. I have a home. I have a family, though a little. I have prepared everything necessary for Emilia to be protected if something happens to Elena or to me.
Mikhail laughed bitterly.
— So you planned everything.
— Yes — Todor said. — Because unlike what you think, we are not two confused old men. We are people who have made a decision.
He pulled an envelope out of his bag.
— This is a letter I wrote about Emilia. There are also documents for trust fund, education, healthcare, guardianship. We have not left anything to chance.
The judge took the documents.
Mikhail looked at his lawyer.
His face was no longer angry.
It was calculating.
And then I realized that he was not done yet.
— And who will be a guardian? — he asked.
Todor looked at me.
I replied:
— This is recorded in the documents.
The judge overplayed the pages.
Then he raised his eyes.
— In case of death or inability of the two parents, the child’s guardian will be Mrs. Nadezhda Stoyanova.
Sylvia gasped.
— Hope? This woman from Ruse?
— Yes — Todor said. — My daughter from my first marriage.
The room subsided again.
— Do you have another daughter? — asked Sylvia.
Todor nodded.
— Yes. He’s fifty-two. He has two children. He knows Elena. He knows Emilia. And she agrees to be a part of her life.
Mikhail turned pale.
— So you don’t even believe us.
It hurt to hear it.
But I couldn’t lie.
— You took me to court, Michael.
He opened his mouth.
Then he closed it.
The judge leaned back.
— From the documents provided so far, I see no evidence that Mrs Mileva is mentally incapable of making decisions. On the contrary, — has clear medical assessments, legal training and financial organization related to child care.
My children’s lawyer stood up.
— Your Honor, we want an independent psychiatric examination.
The judge nodded.
— This is your right. But the application for temporary restriction of parental rights and management of property is rejected at this stage.
Sylvia started crying.
Mikhail did not move.
Todor just closed his eyes.
I pressed Emilia to myself.
It was not a victory.
I didn’t feel like a winner.
I was a mother who had just realized how far her own children could go when their fear mixed with greed.
And I was the mother of a baby who would need me more than ever.
The case lasted a few more months.
There were expertise.
Talk to doctors.
Financial assessments.
