AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Mrs. Levee swallowed hard and swiped on her phone. “Will I get him and be able to look after him?”
“I’m recommending that, yes.”
That was met with a relieved sigh.
“Thank you. I just want to protect my baby.”
Anne hit Send and glanced back to Mrs. Levee. “I’d expect you to hear from DFS within a few hours. Do you know how your daughter is going to take this?”
Mrs. Levee folded her arms over her ample bosom. “I don’t give a rat’s ass how she’s gonna take it. That boy is being neglected. I didn’t raise her like that. It’s the drugs. They suck all the brains and common sense out.”
Anne couldn’t disagree.
Impulsively, she reached out, covering one of Mrs. Levee’s hands with her own.
“It’ll be okay,” she assured her, praying she wasn’t lying.
Once that was over, she thought again of the evening ahead that she both anticipated and dreaded. While she looked forward to an evening with Blane, she hated the fact that she was encouraging him, especially under false pretenses. He seemed like such a good guy. But Anne knew, perhaps better than most, that looks can be deceiving.
Her last appointment of the day came in promptly at four thirty. She was a beautiful woman with long blonde hair, clear skin, and brown eyes. She wasn’t wearing makeup and there were dark circles under her eyes. She had a toddler in tow, a little boy, dark haired and olive skinned. He was clutching a small stuffed bear.
Anne stood to greet her. “You’re Madeleine Habib?”
The woman nodded. “Yes. And this is Abdul.”
“Please. Sit down.”
Madeleine sat, pulling the boy onto her lap as Anne resumed her seat behind her desk.
“How can I help you?”
Madeleine hesitated, then said, “I didn’t know where else to go. My husband and I…our marriage is not good.”
“When you say ‘not good,’ can you be more specific?” ‘Not good’ could mean anything from arguing over credit card bills to physical abuse.
“We met five years ago. He was handsome and wealthy. He swept me off my feet. We married six months later. Things were good, then he started getting obsessively controlling, which only got worse once Abdul was born. I want to leave, but I’m afraid. His culture…it doesn’t view women very well. I’m afraid for Abdul. I’ve heard stories. Women in my situation. The husband can take my son away to his home country and I’d never see him again.”
“And what is his home country?”
“The UAE.”
United Arab Emirates. Predominantly Islam in religion. Not the most backwards of Islamic nations regarding women, but not by much. Madeleine was absolutely right. If her husband got the child out of the country, she’d never see him again.
Unfortunately, there was nothing Anne could do.
“It’s good that you’re being proactive,” she said. “Those situations do happen and you’re right, gaining any kind of custody once he leaves the country would be almost impossible. However, there’s nothing I can do at this point. Have you contacted a lawyer?”
Madeleine’s face fell. The little hope that had been in her eyes faded as she shook her head. “I have no access to our bank accounts without my husband’s knowledge. I have no money to pay a lawyer.”
“I’m sure you could find—”
“I tried. No one I spoke with wants to get involved when there’s an uncertainty of being paid. Even if he agrees to the divorce and terms, there’s no guarantee he’ll abide by it and not just run off back home.”
Okay, well that sucked. Lawyers. Then she had an idea.
“You know, I know someone who might be able to find a lawyer for you that’ll take your case. Why don’t you write down your number for me?” Anne slid a Post-It pad over along with a pen. Blane used to be a lawyer. Surely, he knew someone who’d help. She had no qualms about using whatever resources she had to help people.
Madeleine scribbled a number and passed the paper back. “Do you really think you might be able to help me?”
