Chapter 15 - Dad Files for Divorce
Dad filed.
Regular divorce.
They had been married for six years.
No annulment fantasy.
No automatic loss of every marital right because Valerie committed a crime.
Their property was divided through ordinary law.
Accounts.
Retirement contributions.
Furniture.
Vehicle.
The house was Dad’s separate property from before marriage, though counsel evaluated any marital claims related to improvements.
Custody was separate.
Leo remained with Dad under emergency orders.
Valerie’s criminal case and incarceration made immediate physical custody impossible.
Her parental rights were not automatically erased.
That shocked some relatives.
“How can she still be his mother?”
Biology is fact.
Legal parentage is law.
Safe access is another question.
They are related.
Not identical.
Dad obtained sole decision-making authority while the orders remained in effect.
Any future change would require court review.
Nobody promised Valerie a reunion.
Nobody promised Leo there would never be one.
May you like
He was an infant.
The future could wait.
