My husband assumed I couldn't understand German, so he announced in front of his whole family that his ex-girlfriend was pregnant with his baby. They chuckled while I quietly served dinner, convinced I was clueless. Then his mother smiled and said, “Don’t worry. We’ll make her raise this child.”

On Friday morning, Frank sent a high-resolution video file to my secure email.

The video showed Julian entering the Evanston apartment building at 7:45 PM on Thursday night, carrying a briefcase. Forty minutes later, he emerged with his mother, Helga, who had been waiting in a silver Mercedes around the corner. The camera captured them talking animatedly on the sidewalk.

Because Frank used a high-powered directional microphone, the audio was crystal clear.

Helga (in German on the recording): "Did the girl sign the custody waiver?"

Julian (in German): "Not yet. She's hesitant. She wants more money for her medical expenses."

Helga: "Offer her another ten thousand from the corporate account. Once the baby is delivered and Claire takes him home, we’ll cut the girl off entirely. Claire will be so occupied raising a newborn that she won't notice the restructuring of the firm's shares."

Julian: "It's perfect. She’s been begging for a child for six years. She’ll do all the work, and I won't have to pay a dime in child support."

Sitting in my car in the office parking lot, listening to the recording through my headphones, tears of sheer rage pricked my eyes.

They weren't just planning to force me to raise another woman's child—they were using my deep, painful longing for a family as a psychological trap to distract me while they stripped me of my financial rights in the company.

I picked up my phone and called Sophie.

"Claire?" she answered nervously.

"Sophie, Frank got the recording," I told her. "Julian and his mother are coming to your apartment tomorrow afternoon to pressure you into signing the final notary papers. I need you to play along for twenty-four more hours."

"Are you sure?" Sophie's voice trembled. "Helga was so aggressive yesterday. She threatened to call Child Protective Services on me if I didn't cooperate."

"They have no legal standing, Sophie," I reassured her firmly. "I’ve already retained Marcus Sterling to represent you as well. He filed a protective injunction this morning. Tomorrow, when Julian hands you those papers, accept them—but tell him you want to execute the final signature at his father's birthday party on Sunday in front of his family so 'everyone is on the same page.'"