If she suspected it existed, she had no evidence and could not hold him accountable for it. Hank’s parents exchanged glances. Finally, Mr. Brown spoke up. “Now that you’ve made your choice, your mother and I won’t intervene. Just ensure you apologize to Liberty properly and negotiate the divorce terms. Aside from giving her some money, don’t offer her anything else. Try to lower the amount a bit. Would ten or twenty thousand be acceptable? Two hundred thousand is simply too excessive.”
“Exactly. She hasn’t earned a cent since getting married, yet she expects to leave with two hundred thousand? It’s like hitting the jackpot. If she marries a few more men and divorces them, she’ll end up rich! Hank, you must stand firm. Offer her no more than twenty thousand. You won’t have to confront her; I’ll handle it! I may be older, but I’m not afraid of embarrassment. I’ll fight her to the bitter end and won’t allow her to take so much of your money. I doubt she’ll dare to retaliate against me!”
Olivia was determined to be a relentless, fierce mother-in-law, resolved not to let Liberty take her son’s two hundred thousand dollars.
“Two hundred thousand could build you a two-story house in the countryside. Materials are expensive now. In the past, that amount could cover not just the house but all the fixtures, too.”
Hank sighed. “We’ll see what terms Liberty proposes when we discuss it the day after tomorrow.”
Olivia considered this and added, “What about Sonny? Shouldn’t we bring him back here for now? I’ve heard that when kids are very young, custody is typically awarded to the mother, as long as she can support them.”
The child, Sonny, is just over two years old, and it has always been Liberty and her sister who have cared for him. The court may ultimately award custody of Sonny to Liberty.
When the court makes its ruling, it will not consider that Sonny is the only paternal grandson the Browns have; rather, it will focus solely on the child’s best interests.
“If custody is granted to you and Sonny comes to live with us, we can nurture our bond. If Liberty retains custody and Sonny is with us, we can simply refuse to return him. What can Liberty do then? Sonny is my grandson!”
Mr. Brown was primarily concerned about his grandson’s welfare rather than other divorce issues. He told his son, “Hank, your mother is correct. First, bring Sonny to stay with us as soon as possible. Your mother and I will take care of him for now.”