Chapter 5 - The Ambush
Two weeks passed, and the dust seemed to be settling.
I had established a routine at my father's house.
Rose was thriving, and the paperwork for Julian's parents to legally recognize their granddaughter was underway.
But a narcissist never truly gives up.
I was pushing the stroller through the local park, enjoying the crisp autumn air, when a black SUV suddenly blocked my path.
The doors flew open.
Tyler stepped out of the driver's side, looking disheveled and desperate.
From the passenger side emerged my mother, her eyes wide and wild.
"Get in the car," Tyler demanded, stepping toward the stroller.
My heart hammered in my throat, but I planted my feet firmly on the pavement.
"If you take one more step, I am screaming for the police," I warned, reaching into my pocket for my pepper spray.
"Don't be dramatic," my mother hissed, looking around nervously at the few pedestrians nearby.
"We just want to talk about custody."
"There is no 'we', and you have zero custody rights," I spat back.
Tyler lunged forward, trying to grab the handle of the stroller.
I didn't hesitate.
I brought the pepper spray up and pressed the trigger, catching him squarely in the eyes.
Tyler screamed, stumbling backward and clutching his face.
My mother gasped in horror, rushing to his side.
"You're a monster!" she yelled at me.
"No," a deep voice boomed from behind them.
It was an off-duty police officer who had been jogging on the trail.
"She's a mother protecting her child," the officer said, pulling out his radio.
Within minutes, sirens wailed in the distance.
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Tyler and my mother were detained on the spot for attempted kidnapping.
I held Rose tightly against my chest, whispering that she was safe, over and over again.
