Second chance seduction

Shifting Allegiance

POV: Alice

I woke up that morning with a spinning headache and a strong heart. The kind that refused to break. After a cold shower and a quiet moment to steel myself, I got dressed and headed for court.

Lucas was already seated when I arrived, playing the role of the heartbroken father with Oscar-worthy precision. And of course, Nina was there too.

She stood near him like she belonged there whispering to the lawyer, smiling at the court staff, pretending she had a right to my children. She wore that smug, polished grin that made my stomach twist. Like she'd already won.

But she hadn’t. Not yet. Not if I had anything to do with it.

As I walked down the corridor toward the courtroom, I reminded myself:

You are their mother. You know what’s best for them. Lucas only deserve a supervised visitations. That’s all you’re willing to give. And that’s what will happen.

I took my seat with the twins beside me, their tiny hands tucked into mine. I looked toward my lawyer, gauging his confidence. He gave me a small, reassuring nod.

Lucas kept staring. I avoided his gaze, but eventually, our eyes locked.

Regret. Guilt. It flashed in his eyes like a broken apology.

But I didn’t care. I didn’t come here for apologies.

I came for justice and maybe a little revenge.

The judge cleared her throat. “Based on the findings and the child psychologist’s report, the court believes it is in the best interest of the children that both parents have equal access at any time and on any day.”

My heart dropped.

The judge turned to me. “Mrs. Alice, do you have anything to say regarding this ruling?”

My lawyer stood. “Your Honor, my client feels it is safer if Mr. Forx’s visitations remain supervised for now. He re-entered the children’s lives after a long absence. There is concern for their emotional well-being. Until he proves he’s committed and stable, supervised visitation is necessary.”

The judge nodded thoughtfully. “A court-appointed child psychologist will supervise Mr. Forx’s interactions with the children for one month. If no red flags are raised, he will be granted full access.”

Her voice hardened. “However, if he proves to be irresponsible or harmful, he will lose all parental rights.”

That was it. She dismissed the hearing.

I stood there, stunned. That wasn’t the outcome I wanted.

There has to be another way. A way to prove he’s not fit to be their father.

But before my darker thoughts could fully settle, something unexpected happened.

Lucas’s lawyer received a call. He whispered something to Lucas, then stood. “Your Honor, we request a moment. We have new evidence to present.”

He connected his phone to the courtroom screen.

And suddenly, there it was. Footage and photos of me in a mental institution two years ago. Two months of my life I had tried to bury.

The room fell silent.

Lucas didn’t look proud he looked conflicted. But that didn’t stop him.

“Miss Grey,” the judge said, “can you explain this?”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My chest tightened.

This was Nina. Her fingerprints were all over this.

But before I could find the words, the courtroom doors opened.

Macon walked in, holding a manila envelope. Calm. Confident. Like always.

“Your Honor,” he said, “these photos have been altered. I have originals of the dates in question. Alice was with me during her recovery. This asylum claim has been taken out of context and edited with malicious intent.”

He handed over the evidence.

The judge reviewed the pictures carefully. Then sighed. “Enough.”

“Both parents will now be supervised for one month. The same psychologist will assess both parties. At the end of the month, full custody will be decided based on their conduct and the children’s emotional safety.”

She banged the gavel.

Court was adjourned.

And for the first time in weeks, I looked at Macon and whispered, “Thank you.”

He smiled faintly. “We’re just getting started Alice.

We all walked out of the courtroom. I saw the joy blooming on Lucas and Nina’s faces, like they had just won a battle. Without a word, I got into my car and drove off.

A few hours later, Macon and I were back at the apartment, trying to figure out how to sabotage Lucas and cut his toxic presence out of the kids’ lives for good.

But then out of nowhere a long, shiny black car pulled up in front of our building. Lucas and Nina stepped out, majestic and smug, like he owned the very ground he walked on.

The sight of Nina made my blood boil. How dare he bring her here? The woman who destroyed my marriage and stole everything from me.

She smiled while holding Lucas hands. The sight of it caused my blood to boil, so he loved her anyways, that kept ringing in my mind.

Before Lucas walked straight up to me, asking to see the twins to hold them and spend time with them. But I refused. He hadn’t brought the court-appointed supervisor, and worse, he came with her. I didn’t trust Nina for a second.

He tried to charm his way through, Lucas pulled out a chair and sat down like he planned to stay for awhile. From a bag, he took out a bottle of wine and shoved it in my face like it was some sort of peace offering.

I refused at first, but something in me snapped. I took the glass. We all did. We drank.

And that’s when everything went blurry.

I couldn’t think straight. I felt like my head was spinning. I didn’t know what I was doing anymore. We all took the wine right?

I didn’t know who or what I was doing but I know Nina has a hand in this. I couldn’t help myself.

Could the wine be poisoned?

I collapsed on the ground, and the next thing I knew, I was in the hospital, hooked up to an IV drip. Macon and the twins were by my side.

“What happened?” I asked weakly, trying to sit up.

Macon rushed to support me, and the twins followed, both of them crying. I reached out to comfort them, but the pounding headache made it hard to speak.

Macon gently motioned for me to rest. “Everything’s fine now. The twins are safe,” he assured me.

I closed my eyes and slept off again.

Later on, when I woke up, I felt a little bit better. The doctor administered some drugs and discharged us. But that wasn’t the end of it.

The moment I stepped out of the hospital, I felt that something was wrong. Whispers followed me. News and rumors were already spreading like wildfire.

I thought it was all just gossip until I checked the internet.

There it was: a video of me, clearly drugged and disoriented, stumbling and slurring after drinking the wine. Bloggers had shared it everywhere.

The headline was bold and brutal: "Mrs. Alice, the CEO, Is Losing Her Mind, Send Help to Her Twins!"

People flooded the comments with pity for my children. Some even went as far as calling me a danger to them.

“A madwoman raising two innocent kids.”

“A killer in disguise.”

The labels crushed me. I was furious with myself for accepting that so-called peace offering.

I knew this scandal could cost me everything. If the court saw that video, I’d lose custody of my twins.

I needed to act fast so I could cover this up and clear my name. But I had no proof that Nina was behind it.

And worse, I didn’t know where to start.