“Keep begging, Claire—your pain means nothing in this house, that baby gives you no power, and before this morning is over, I’ll make sure neither you nor your ex-Marine brother ever dares challenge me again.”

The divorce court ordered a settlement conference before the baby’s birth.

Trent appeared remotely from his attorney’s office because the protection order prohibited direct contact.

Claire sat beside Serena. Mason waited outside.

The mediator addressed property and temporary parenting arrangements. The criminal case remained separate.

Trent wanted proceeds from the Brentwood house.

Serena pointed to the premarital ownership documents and the limited marital contributions. The final division would require accounting, but Trent had no right to force a sale simply because the business failed.

He also requested immediate supervised visits after the birth.

Claire did not oppose all future contact.

She requested that any visitation depend on a domestic-violence evaluation, parenting assessment and compliance with criminal-court orders.

Trent stared at the camera.

“She’s using my child to punish me.”

Claire answered before Serena could.

“You raised a stick over the child.”

“I hit the floor.”

“You wanted me to know you could choose where it landed.”

His jaw tightened.

The mediator redirected them to the financial guarantee.

Trent finally admitted the company was desperate.

Richard had invested retirement savings in Cumberland. Helen had borrowed against their home. If the private lender foreclosed, his parents would lose almost everything.

“I was trying to protect my family,” Trent said.

Claire looked at him on the screen.

“Which family?”

He did not answer.

She continued.

“You used my clinic records. You forged my authorization. You planned to call me mentally unstable. Where did our baby fit inside the family you were protecting?”

Trent rubbed both hands across his face.

“I believed the loan would fix everything. Projects would finish. Deposits would be restored. Nobody would know.”

“That’s what you always believe. Harm does not count if you hide it before anyone can name it.”

For the first time, Trent stopped defending the mechanics.

“My father said I was weak,” he said. “He said if I couldn’t bring you under control, I had no business running the company.”

The explanation shifted some weight toward Richard without removing Trent’s choices.

Helen had rewarded aggression.

Richard had measured manhood through control.

Trent had accepted the system because it gave him power.

“What do you want now?” the mediator asked.

Trent looked at Claire.

“I want my wife back.”