In Love With The Game (COMPLETED)

Chapter 25

#ILWTG25 Chapter 25

Millie's words made me feel threatened. I wanted to brush her words off and just focus on Papa's recovery, but a voice inside me kept on telling me that she was telling the truth... and that scared me.

I called our lawyer. I wanted to discuss all the possibilities. Kung totoo ngang niloko niya si Papa, alam ko na malabo na ang posibilidad na magkabalikan silang dalawa. Papa didn't tolerate cheating—that's one of the few things we two have in common. I knew that there's no way that Millie could crawl her way back into our lives.

"I'm sorry for the sudden call," I told Atty. Uriel. It was 3 am.

"I'll send you the bill, so you don't have to feel sorry," he said.

Right. Every meeting, every appearance, every letter, every word has payment in this profession.

"What can I do for you?" he asked.

"As you know, Papa suffered from stroke. Again," paliwanag ko sa kanya. Tumango siya sa akin. "He got into an argument with Millie, his wife. I just wanna know what are my options since she's threatening to take Ellie away."

Atty. Uriel asked me a couple of questions. I couldn't help but feel worried for all the possibilities. I could barely remember all the things I studied during family law dahil mabilis na dinaanan lang iyon ng prof namin nung first year ako. But I knew that in this case, we were in the losing side. As much as I hated Millie, I knew that she's still the mother. And in the eyes of the law, she has more rights.

"What if they get annulled? May chance na makuha namin si Ellie? We'll show that Millie's unfit?" I asked. I badly wanted to bite my fingers because this was making me feel so tensed. Gusto kong tawagan si Yago para nandito siya. I wanted to hold his hand. He's the only one who could calm me in times like this.

"On what grounds?" he asked. "Based on what you told me, we don't really have a case for annulment, Rory."

"What about adultery?"

"Again, do you have proof? You're studying law, right? You know that it's hard to prove adultery."

"Then what do you propose?" naiinis na sabi ko.

"If they get an annulment, mas mahihirapan tayo sa custody, Rory. Millie's not really unfit to take care of Ellie. She can very well support your sister. Your father gave her several properties—"

Agad na nanlaki ang mga mata ko. "What?!"

He sighed. "You should discuss that with your father," he said. "Again, with custody, the edge is with the mother. Your sister is under the age of seven. Talagang kay Millie siya mapupunta, except if we can prove to the court that she's unfit to take care of Ellie—which is not the case."

I pursed my lips. Shit. I couldn't lose my sister. Kilala ko si Millie. Kapag nakuha niya si Ellie, alam ko na hinding-hindi ko na makikita ang kapatid ko... She hated me so much. At alam niya kung gaano ko kamahal si Ellie. I knew she'd do everything to hurt me.

"Family law isn't really my specialization. Should you decide to pursue this, I'll recommend you to a good lawyer," he said. "But right now, I really recommend that you fix this. Avoid legal custody battle. It can be tough for your sister."

Huminga ako nang malalim. "I don't think you understand, Atty. There's no fixing the marriage. It's not on the table. My concern is my sister's custody. You're our lawyer. That's your job."

Tumango siya sa akin. "Very well," he said, clasping his hands. "I'll study your case and get back to you as soon as possible."

Nagpasalamat ako sa kanya bago siya umalis. I returned to my father's room and stared at his sleeping form. I held his hand and smiled at him.