My Husband Called Me A “Worthless Incubator” And Left While I Was 6 Months Pregnant. Now He’s Back To Steal A $200k Inheritance Using My Name. How Do I Make Him Regret Every Single Day?

The Settlement Attempts

The next day my phone rang while I was working. Unknown number but I answered anyway. A man’s voice introduced himself as Owen and said he was calling on Brett’s behalf. He had that smooth lawyer tone that was probably supposed to make me feel intimidated like I was out of my depth.

He suggested we could settle this quickly and reasonably without involving the courts. Said Brett was willing to be generous if I was willing to be flexible. I told him to talk to Lydia and hung up before he could finish his sentence. I wasn’t going to let some lawyer bully me into accepting less than what was fair and I definitely wasn’t going to negotiate without my own representation present.

Brett came home that night looking completely different from the angry man who’d stormed out the day before. His shoulders were slumped, his face was tired. He asked if we could talk like adults using this reasonable voice that I immediately didn’t trust.

I agreed but pulled out my phone and started recording before he even sat down. It’s legal in our state to record conversations you’re part of and I wasn’t about to have another situation where it was his word against mine. He noticed the phone but didn’t object which told me Owen had probably warned him about making things worse.

He offered me $50,000 and joint custody if I signed off on the divorce quickly. Just like that. Like it was a generous compromise instead of an insult. I actually laughed which seemed to surprise him.

I told him that wasn’t even close to what I was owed and joint custody definitely wasn’t happening after he’d abandoned Haley for 2 years. That he couldn’t just throw money at the problem and expect me to forget everything he’d done. That our daughter deserved better than a part-time father who only showed up when it was convenient.

Brett switched tactics trying the sympathy approach. Said he was young and scared when I got pregnant. That he’d made mistakes but he wanted to be a father now. That he’d grown up and learned from his errors.

I asked him where this sudden desire to be a father had been during Haley’s first steps? During her first words? During every middle of the night fever and every doctor visit and every milestone he’d missed because he was too busy posting gym selfies with his girlfriend?

He didn’t have an answer for that. He admitted he messed up but said I was being cruel by keeping him from his daughter. That Haley needed her father and I was using her as a weapon to punish him.

I told him he’d kept himself away by his own choices. That he’d had two years to reach out, to ask about her, to send even a single dollar to help support her. That he’d chosen his girlfriend and his new life over his family and now he had to face the consequences of abandoning us when we needed him most.

That this wasn’t about punishment it was about protection. Protecting Haley from someone who’d already proven he’d walk away the second things got hard. That this wasn’t about revenge or being mean. That this was about making sure Haley had a stable life with a parent who wouldn’t disappear the second things got hard again.

Brett stood up and left without another word. I heard the front door close and felt relief wash over me. For the first time since he’d shown up I had real hope that this nightmare might actually end.

Failed Attempts

Brett showed up the next morning with roses and a bag from the bakery down the street. He set them on the kitchen counter while I was feeding Haley breakfast. She looked at him like he was a stranger, which he was. He tried to smile at her but it came out weird and forced.

I told him the flowers and pastries weren’t going to change anything. He said he knew that but wanted to show he was trying. I reminded him that trying meant actions over time not grand gestures when he wanted something. He nodded and asked if he could stay for breakfast. I said no.

Haley needed routine and stability not some random man showing up and confusing her. He looked hurt but left without arguing.

That afternoon he texted asking if he could take us to dinner. I didn’t respond. The next day he offered to cook dinner at the apartment. I told him we already had plans.

On Thursday he brought toys for Haley. Expensive stuff from the fancy toy store downtown. She took one look at him and started crying, reached for me and buried her face in my shoulder. Brett tried to hand her a stuffed animal but she cried harder. I saw something cross his face, shame maybe or guilt, but then his jaw tightened and he got defensive.

Said she was just tired and needed time to warm up to him. I told him she didn’t know who he was because he’d never been around. That 2 years of absence couldn’t be fixed with toys and forced smiles. That she was scared of him because he was a stranger to her.

Brett set the toys down and walked out. Came back an hour later and tried again. Haley cried every time he got close. By Sunday he’d tried six different approaches. Flowers, food, toys, offers to help around the apartment. Nothing worked. Haley wanted nothing to do with him and I wasn’t going to force her to accept him just to make him feel better about abandoning her.