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She glanced at Axur, wondering how he was. She knew better than to care, but she couldn't help it. At least there wasn't time for her to actually ask.
“The court hearing is in session.” The judge flipped a folder open. She looked through the pages before she looked up at them. “I see that Miss Katie would like to take full custody of Ayla, which would mean you, Axur, would like to relinquish your custody. Is that correct?”
The air fell silent, and all eyes turned to Axur, including hers. All she needed was for him to say yes. It was as simple as that.
They could work out the details later.
Axur looked at her, and for a second, she thought maybe it was going to be okay, but he turned to the judge, shaking his head.
“No.”
Pure anger ignited in her stomach, and her nails bit into her skin. She ground her teeth together, and her nostrils flared. She could hear people talking behind her, and she tried hard to ignore them.
Did he really just say no? Was he just that vindictive that he was going to ruin Ayla's one chance at something nice? Deny her a chance with someone who loved her and could care for her?
“No?” the judge said. “Then you plan to keep her? Is that what I'm hearing?”
Axur waved a hand. “If I may, I would like to explain.”
She scoffed, crossing her arms. He was wasting time. He didn’t want Ayla, so why was he saying no? Why was he making it hard for Ayla to have a nice life without him?
She didn't understand, and she wanted to strangle him. All he had to say was yes. It was simple.
Axur cleared his throat and raised his voice. “I wanted to at first. That was my full intention when I was on my way here, but I realized it’s not what I want now.”
She rolled her eyes. She doubted he had come to his senses when he got here. He likely was saying this to make her look bad.
“I am a military man, and I know how to do everything perfectly. That way of life is straight and to the point, while raising a child isn’t. It’s hard and messy, and you never know if you're doing it right. But that is what I want. I love Ayla with every fiber of my being, and if that means I have to give up the military, then so be it.”
She felt a little sad when it sank in that he would give up the military for Ayla, but he let her slip away so easily. It hurt, and it made her even more mad. Did he not care for her after everything? Ayla was his blood family, but she had thought they had something special. Had it all just been in her head?
There wasn’t a moment of doubt when he had to give her up, and it stung.
She wondered if he was doing this to get back at her. Was he saying all this now because he wanted to hurt her more? Hadn’t he hurt her enough already?
“If that is what Katie wants.”
She froze as he said her name. She turned, looking at him, and he gazed at her with hopeful eyes.
“I love you, and I don’t want to lose everything we had. I was wrong to think that work was more important than a family. And I’m sorry it took me this long to realize it.”
She felt her eyes widen.
“And if you’ll take me back, I will be sure to make up for everything every day. I’ll give up everything if it means I have both of you at the end of the day.”
Her mouth dropped open slightly, and she inhaled. She didn’t know what to say. This wasn't what she was expecting.
Axur continued. “But if you don’t want that and you can’t forgive me, I understand. I am figuring this out after I made all the mistakes that led to this point.”
He turned to the judge. “If that is the case, I want Katie to have full custody of Ayla. She has been the one taking care of her, and it would be cruel of me to take that from her. She knows what Ayla loves for breakfast, and she knows that Ayla struggles with math, but she encourages her to keep going. She knows that Ayla loves being outside and riding her bike. These are just the little things that she knows about my niece.”
Axur looked back at her. “And if you can’t stand me, I will give her up to you because I know you will treat her with respect and love her the way only a mother would know how. I will not stand in the way of that. I want both of you to have the happiness that you deserve, and I hope I'm part of it.”
Tears bloomed, and she looked at Ayla, who was staring at her with a happy smile. She missed her so much. She hardly realized how much until now. Just being near Ayla made her day better.
"I hope you'll take me back and that we can fix what we had because it was perfect. I want that life more than anything else. We had something special, and I hope I'm not too late in asking for your forgiveness."
She swallowed, feeling like her throat was closing. She couldn't breathe as tears burned in her eyes.
