Mark walked back into the living room, grabbing his primary house telephone.
He dialed his family attorney, David, while keeping an eye on Eleanor.
Eleanor sat down on the edge of the fabric sofa, sobbing silently into her hands.
"David, I need you at my house immediately," Mark said into the receiver.
"I have physical proof that someone leaked internal documents regarding my trust fund."
David responded quickly, promising to arrive at the residence within twenty minutes.
Mark hung up the phone and stood near the large front bay window.
The bright sunlight streamed through the glass, highlighting the dusty floorboards.
"I trusted you with my child and my home," Mark said quietly to Eleanor.
"I was desperate, Mark," Eleanor sobbed, wiping tears from her wrinkled cheeks.
"The medical bills from the hospital were getting bigger every single month."
"You could have come to me for financial help!" Mark shouted, turning around.
"Instead, you allowed corrupt lawyers to stage an negligence scene in my bathroom!"
Eleanor flinched at the anger present in her son's stern voice.
"They wanted to prove you were an unfit father in court tomorrow," she confessed.
"They promised nobody would actually get hurt during the setup," she added.
Mark shook his head, feeling sickened by the dangerous scheme she described.
An infant could have been seriously injured due to her careless cooperation.
The sound of tires crunching on the gravel driveway announced David's arrival.
Mark opened the front door to let his trusted attorney inside the foyer.
David carried a thick black briefcase and stepped quickly into the hallway.
"Show me what you found, Mark," David said, adjusting his eyeglasses.
Mark handed over the smartphone containing the recorded text message thread.
David carefully reviewed the text messages, taking detailed photographs of the screen.
"This text message evidence completely changes the dynamic of your custody case," David stated.
"We now have undeniable proof of conspiracy and illegal breach of privacy," David added.
Eleanor looked up from the sofa, her face filled with deep regret and terror.
She realized that her actions would now lead to severe legal consequences.