PART 8 – “MY EX-HUSBAND BELIEVED HE WOULD FORCE ME TO HAND OVER MY PROPERTY — BUT HIS OWN PARTNER’S TESTIMONY TURNS EVERYTHING UP!”

Vasiliki appeared in court in a simple gray dress.

He didn’t look at Dimitris.

He didn’t look at her either.

The atmosphere was heavy.

My lawyer was sitting next to me.

“Take a breath,” he whispered to me.

I nodded.

Vasiliki began to explain how she had met Dimitris.

How he had presented himself to her as an unjust father.

How he had told her that his ex-wife was trying to take his children and money.

And how, gradually, he had begun to notice that his stories were changing.

“At first I thought he was telling the truth,” he said.

“What made you doubt?”

“The contradictions”.

Her voice trembled.

“One day he would tell me that the children were with their mother. The next day he would take them from her. And at one point he told me that he would need to disappear for a few days.”

Dimitris stood up.

“That’s not true!”

His lawyer restrained him.

Vasiliki continued.

“I asked him why. He told me it was better not to know.”

The messages that had been gathered through legal procedures were presented.

It wasn’t just one message.

It was a series of conversations.

In one of them, Dimitris was referring to a complaint.

In another, he was discussing financial obligations with his partner.

In a third he was talking about my property.

And then I heard the phrase that made me close my eyes.

“If he’s afraid of losing the children, he’ll sign.”

It was his voice.

The voice that once told me that it loved me.

The voice that sang to Eleni when she was a baby.

The voice that had promised to always protect our family.

The judge listened carefully to the statements and examined the evidence that had been placed before her.

This specific procedure primarily concerned child protection and temporary family arrangements.

Criminal responsibilities would be examined separately.

But even in that process, the seriousness of the events was impossible to ignore.

Sofia presented the medical certificates.

Call records.

The evidence for Dimitris’ absence.

And the reports of the professionals who had examined the children.

When Eleni’s condition was mentioned, I felt a lump in my throat.

My little girl had been forced to grow up in a matter of days.

And that was something no court could give her back.

The judge announced that, based on the evidence examined and with the protection of the children in mind, strict temporary regulations would apply.

The children would stay with me.

Dimitris’ communication with them would be subject to the restrictions and conditions set by the competent authorities and the court.

It wasn’t the end of the matter.

But it was a start.

A safety principle.

I left the courthouse with my legs shaking.

Sofia hugged me.

“You did it.”

I shook my head.

“Not yet”.

Look at me.

“What do you mean?”

“My children are alive. But they are not well yet.”

Sophia did not answer.

Because he knew I was right.

Wounds that are not visible often take longer.

In the following weeks we began family support with specialists.

Eleni started talking to a child psychologist.

At first he didn’t want to.

“I’m not sick, Mom.”

“I know, my love.”

“Then why should I go?”

I sat next to her.

“Because you went through something really hard. And sometimes we need help so that the memories don’t scare us so much.”

Look at me.

“And you?”

“I will ask for help too.”

He smiled faintly.

“Okay then.”

Nikolas and Petros gradually began to regain their strength.

The doctors continued to monitor them.

Peter became the mischievous little boy again, throwing his toys down and laughing.

Nikolas needed more time.

Some nights he would wake up crying.

I was hugging him.

I was walking him around the room.

And I whispered to him:

“You’re safe. Mom is here.”

I didn’t know if he understood my words.

But I hoped he understood my voice.

One afternoon, Eleni approached me holding a painting.

“Mom, this is for you.”

I opened it.

It was our home.

This time it had a big sun.

Three flowers.

And a phrase written in large, childish letters:

“WE ARE SAFE IN OUR HOME.”

I hugged her.

“It’s the most beautiful painting I’ve ever seen.”

He smiled.

“Can we stick it on the fridge?”

“Naturally”.

We stuck it together.

And for the first time in a long time, our house felt like home again.

But Dimitris’ case was not over.

One night, my lawyer called.

“Anna, we need to talk.”

“What happened;”

“There is progress in the criminal investigation.”

I felt my heart beating fast.

“What kind of development?”

“Stefanos Makris gave a new statement.”

“And what did he say?”

Sophia was silent for a moment.

“He claims that Dimitris had asked him to prepare the apartment so that it would appear as if it had been abandoned by you.”

I closed my eyes.

“And the children?”

“He says that Dimitris had assured him that the children would not be there.”

I felt a wave of anger.

Even now, everyone was trying to explain the inexplicable.

Three children had been found alone.

And no one could change this fact.

Sophia continued.

“There’s something else.”

“What;”

“Evidence was found that Dimitris had prepared documents for the transfer of your property in Halkidiki.”

I froze.

“How;”

“No legal transfer had been completed. But it seems he was planning to ask you to sign.”

“In exchange for what?”

Sophia replied softly.

“With the promise that he wouldn’t try to take your children.”

I looked at Helen’s painting on the fridge.

Three flowers.

A sun.

A house.

And I realized how close we had come to losing everything.

CONTINUED IN THE FINAL PART…