I need to understand what that altered document actually means for me legally before I say anything to Penelope.”
Joel looked at me for a long moment.
Then he nodded.
Once.
“Okay,” he said.
“Tomorrow morning.
But I’m coming with you.”
I called Diane from the bedroom.
She picked up on the first ring, like she’d been waiting.
“I need to know what that document means,” I said.
“The altered one.
If she’s already filed it — what does that do to my rights?”
“It complicates things,” Diane said carefully.
“The altered agreement, if it holds, could be used to argue that you consented to a broader waiver of rights than you actually did.
But it was filed without your knowledge of the changes.
That matters.
A judge would want to know why the version you signed differs from the version on file.”
“Can she actually take this baby and leave me with no recourse?”
