Chapter 6 - The Story He Couldn’t ControlDarren denied everything.
Of course he did.
“That’s not mine.”
His voice was louder than necessary.
The judge looked at the evidence bag.
“The child says you gave her the stuffed animal.”
“I gave her the rabbit.”
“So the device was already inside?”
“I guess.”
Melissa stood.
“Mr. Cole, where did you purchase the toy?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Cash or card?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Did you ask Ms. Harris whether Ava was still sleeping with that specific rabbit?”
Darren shifted.
“I was making conversation.”
“Why did you specifically instruct her to send the rabbit back?”
“My daughter likes it.”
“Your daughter has several toys.”
“She likes that one.”
Melissa nodded.
“How convenient.”
“Objection.”
“Sustained.”
The judge looked irritated.
That mattered.
Officer Benton testified next.
She explained where we found the device.
She explained that its identifier had been recorded.
Then she said police were still obtaining account information through the manufacturer.
Darren’s attorney immediately emphasized that no account had yet been connected to Darren.
For a moment, I felt the case slipping.
Then Melissa called one more witness.
Isaiah.
Darren stared at him.
Isaiah walked to the stand calmly.
After being sworn in, Melissa asked, “Mr. Brooks, do you hate Darren Cole?”
“No.”
Darren actually scoffed.
The judge looked at him.
Isaiah continued.
“I don’t like how he treats Nia.”
“Why?”
“Because he doesn’t respect boundaries.”
“Have you ever prevented him from seeing Ava?”
“No.”
“Threatened him?”
“No.”
“Hit him?”
“No.”
“Raised your voice at him?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“The night he put his hand against Nia’s front door and wouldn’t let her close it.”
Darren’s attorney stood.
“So you admit you became aggressive.”
Isaiah looked at him.
“I said, ‘Take your hand off the door.’”
“That was aggressive?”
“It was direct.”
“Were you angry?”
“Yes.”
“Could Ava hear you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you believe you have authority over Mr. Cole?”
“No.”
“Do you believe you are Ava’s father?”
“No.”
“Do you want to replace him?”
“No.”
The attorney paused.
Isaiah added, “Ava already has a father.”
Darren looked surprised.
So did I.
Isaiah continued.
“She doesn’t need me to replace him. She needs me to respect her relationship with him while keeping my home safe.”
The courtroom became very quiet.
Darren looked away.
The judge ordered temporary supervised visitation pending the device investigation.
Darren exploded.
“This is insane!”
His attorney grabbed his arm.
“Darren.”
“No!”
He pointed toward me.
“She planned this!”
The judge’s voice sharpened.
“Mr. Cole.”
“She put that thing in the rabbit!”
My mouth fell open.
Darren kept going.
“She’s trying to take my daughter!”
“Mr. Cole, sit down.”
“You don’t understand!”
A court officer stepped closer.
Darren finally sat.
His face was red.
The calm father in the suit was gone.
For several seconds, everyone saw the man I had been dealing with privately.
The judge did too.
She ordered a custody evaluator.
Parenting classes.
Individual counseling for Darren.
And continued supervised contact until further review.
Outside, Darren stormed past me.
He wasn’t allowed to approach.
But as he passed, he muttered:
“This isn’t over.”
Officer Benton heard him.
“Mr. Cole.”
Darren stopped.
She pointed down the hallway.
“Keep moving.”
He did.
That evening, I expected relief.
Instead, I cried.
Isaiah found me in the laundry room sitting on the floor beside a basket of towels.
He didn’t ask why.
He simply sat down.
“I did this,” I whispered.
“What?”
“I had a child with him.”
Isaiah turned toward me.
“Nia.”
“I chose him.”
“You were twenty-three.”
“I still chose him.”
“And he chose how to behave.”
“I should’ve seen it.”
“How?”
I looked at him.
“He was charming.”
“So?”
“Everybody loved him.”
“That’s not evidence you were stupid.”
I laughed weakly.
“He used to say jealousy meant he cared.”
Isaiah frowned.
“He checked my phone because he cared.”
“He wanted my passwords because he cared.”
“He hated my friends because he cared.”
“I believed it.”
Isaiah took my hand.
“You don’t believe it now.”
That sentence stayed with me.
I didn’t believe it now.
That had to count for something.
The next month was exhausting.
Custody evaluation interviews.
Therapy appointments for Ava.
Parenting app messages.
Supervised exchanges.
My mother and I barely spoke.
Then, one afternoon, the custody evaluator asked to see me alone.
Dr. Patel was soft-spoken and direct.
“Ava is experiencing loyalty conflict.”
My stomach sank.
“Is that my fault?”
“I’m not assigning fault.”
“What does she say?”
“She believes loving Isaiah hurts her father.”
I swallowed.
“She also believes telling you positive things about Darren might hurt you.”
“No.”
My eyes filled.
“I never want that.”
“I know.”
“What do I do?”
“Give her permission.”
“To what?”
“To love everyone safely.”
That night, I sat beside Ava on her bed.
“Baby?”
She looked up from her coloring book.
“I want you to know something.”
“What?”
“You can love Daddy.”
She stared at me.
“I know.”
“No.”
I touched her hand.
“You can love him out loud.”
Her eyes changed.
“You can tell me you miss him.”
She nodded slowly.
“You can tell me you had fun with him.”
Another nod.
“And you never have to protect my feelings.”
She put the crayon down.
“Daddy gets sad when I talk about Isaiah.”
I inhaled carefully.
“I’m sorry.”
“He says I forget who my real family is.”
My chest tightened.
“You never have to choose.”
Her eyes filled.
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
She threw her arms around me.
A week later, Officer Benton called.
“We got the tracker account information.”
My heart stopped.
“And?”
“The device was registered three months ago.”
“Whose account?”
She paused.
“Darren Cole.”
I closed my eyes.
But she wasn’t finished.
“There’s something else, Nia.”
“What?”
“That wasn’t the only tracker registered to him.”
My eyes opened.
May you like
“How many?”
“Four.”
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