In his penthouse, Michael stood by himself as the city skyline glistened outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. The legal papers, which were strewn all over his dining table, were a final nail in the coffin of the life that Lorna and Lucas had created for his son.
This was not the war he had desired. Not devastation.
However, they had given him no other option.
He was excluded from his son's life. Lorna told him a lie. Like a disgraceful secret, hiding Jason's existence.
And now he was going to do everything in his power to put things right.
"Full custody," he said in a stern and uncompromising voice to his lawyer over the phone.
"Mr. Hudson, are you sure? That is a very risky move."
Michael's mouth tightened. "I've never had more confidence in anything."
Lorna, meanwhile, was standing at the kitchen sink in a peaceful suburban house just outside the city, staring at the dishwater indifferently. Even though Jason's cartoons could be heard faintly in the background, the silence in the house was oppressive.
Lucas came in and untied his necktie. "Dinner has not been touched by you."
"I'm not hungry," she muttered.
The room was filled with Lucas's sigh. "You continue to think about him."
Lorna looked over at him. "Lucas, he's suing us. for complete custody."
"I understand," he said, his jaw clenched. "Give him permission. We will retaliate.
She turned her head away. "What happens if we lose?"
Lucas took a step forward. Since Jason's birth, I have been his parent. In all significant ways, he is my son."
"However, he is not your blood," she muttered.
Between them, the atmosphere changed. A delicate object broke.
With pain flashing in his eyes, Lucas muttered, "I can't believe you said that."
Lorna took a deep breath. "I apologize. I didn't intend to"
"You did," he said, interrupting. "You're beginning to question whether Michael ought to be involved in Jason's life."
"Lucas, I'm afraid," she said. "He has the law on his side, resources, and power"
"And you still have feelings for him, don't you?"
The question fell like a ton of bricks.
Lorna stopped. Her response was silence.
Lucas took a step back. "I understand."
Back in his office, Michael watched the surveillance footage that his private investigator had sent him, which showed Jason and Lucas as well as Lorna appearing aloof and preoccupied.
He turned to Henry, who was sitting next to him, and spoke in a tight voice. "They're not doing well. Jason is worthy of better. I'm worthy of him."
Henry paused. "Are you certain that this is about Jason and not her?"
Michael remained silent. He didn't have to.
The truth was raw and tangled.
But he would untangle it in court.
Because whether or not Lorna still loved him,Jason was his son.
And Michael Hudson would not be done away with.