Tessa had been awake most of the night. Wren had suffered another nightmare and eventually fallen asleep curled against her chest, one fist still wrapped around the sleeve of Tessa’s shirt as if letting go might make her disappear.

The afternoon sun was sinking behind the industrial district, casting long, sharp shadows across the gravel lot of Vance Construction.

Inside the small, timber-paneled site office, Leo sat at a heavy drafting table surrounded by blueprints, land survey maps, and legal property plats.

Tessa stood near the window, holding a warm cup of coffee, watching the yellow excavators parked in the yard outside. The adrenaline from the morning court hearing had faded, leaving behind a deep, bone-weary exhaustion.

“Sarah thinks they’ll back down,” Tessa said, her voice soft against the quiet hum of the office space. “She thinks Sterling will advise Marjorie to drop the custody petition to avoid a criminal investigation into the signature.”

“Marjorie won't back down,” Leo said, not looking up from his survey map. “You don't know her like I do, Tessa. When she gets cornered, she doesn't negotiate. She burns everything down so nobody else can have it.”

He set his pencil down and looked at her.

“The only thing that will permanently stop her is producing the original signed land transfer deed,” Leo explained. “If we have that deed, her claim on the eighty-two thousand dollars vanishes, her financial leverage over you is destroyed, and her credibility in family court is completely wiped out.”

“Where would she keep it?” Tessa asked. “In a bank safety deposit box?”

“No,” Leo shook his head. “Marjorie doesn't trust banks. She kept everything important in the floor safe hidden beneath the carpet in my uncle’s old study at the Oakridge house. I know the combination—Owen and I helped him install it fifteen years ago.”

Tessa’s heart skipped a beat. “You want to go into her house?”

“She has a court-ordered deposition in the city tomorrow morning at ten,” Leo said, his brown eyes locking onto hers with absolute focus. “She’ll be out of the house for at least three hours. Her housekeeper, Mrs. Gable, leaves at nine every morning to run errands.”

“Leo... that’s trespassing,” Tessa said, panic fluttering in her chest. “If she catches you in that house, she’ll have you arrested for burglary. She’ll use it to prove to the court that we’re unstable!”

“It’s my uncle’s house, Tessa,” Leo said quietly, standing up from his desk and walking over to her. “The property title is still held in the family trust that I am a co-trustee of. Technically, I have a legal right of entry for property inspection.”

He reached out, taking her cold hand into his own. His grip was warm, rough from years of physical labor, and entirely solid.

“Owen was my cousin,” Leo whispered, looking deep into her eyes. “He was like a brother to me. I let him down when he was alive because I didn't see how much pressure Marjorie was putting on him. I am not going to let her ruin you and Wren. I’m getting that deed.”

Tessa looked at their joined hands. For months after Owen’s death, she had felt completely isolated, marooned on a solitary island of grief and crushing responsibility. But standing here with Leo, she felt something she hadn't experienced in years: support. Real, unyielding protection.

“I’m coming with you,” Tessa said firmly.

Leo opened his mouth to object, but Tessa raised her hand, stopping him before he could speak.

“I know that house better than you do, Leo,” Tessa said, her jaw setting into a stubborn line. “I lived there for three weeks while Owen was in the hospital. I know where she keeps her spare keys, and I know which floorboards creak. If we’re doing this, we do it together.”