Chapter 14 - The Aftermath
Walking out of the courthouse, the stormy weather had broken, leaving behind a clear, sunny Chicago afternoon.
Reporters had somehow caught wind of the dramatic hearing and were waiting on the steps.
I ignored their flashing cameras, shielding Leo’s face as Sarah escorted us to her car.
My phone buzzed incessantly with notifications from my banking app.
The court order had moved faster than lightning; the funds were already trickling back into my account.
“You did it, you actually took him down,” Sarah cheered, slamming her hands on the steering wheel in victory.
We drove straight to a high-end baby boutique, buying everything Leo needed without looking at a single price tag.
Later that evening, I received a text message from an unknown number.
It was Eleanor.
“Please, let me see my grandson. Marcus is out of control, I need family right now.”
I stared at the screen, remembering how she had laughed when I thought I was dying in labor.
I blocked her number without replying.
She had made her choice to support a monster, and now she had to live in the cage with him.
The next morning, breaking news flashed across the local television networks.
Marcus’s corporate firm had fired him immediately after the fraud allegations became public.
His reputation in the financial sector was permanently destroyed.
He was legally barred from selling our marital home, which was now legally transferred solely into my name.
I hired movers to pack up his remaining belongings and dump them at Eleanor's doorstep.
Walking back into my house for the first time as a free woman felt intoxicating.
May you like
I carried Leo into the nursery, looking at the dismantled crib Marcus had callously ripped apart.
With a deep breath, I pulled out a toolbox and began putting the pieces back together, just like I was doing with my life.
