Promoted content
Once introduced to me as his operations coordinator, later his “trusted executive partner,” and now, without any effort at pretense, his mistress, dressed in soft cream tones like she had dressed for a celebration rather than a courtroom, her hand resting possessively on his arm as if she had already claimed victory before the judge even entered.
My stomach twisted, not just from pregnancy, but from the familiar humiliation of seeing them together, openly, confidently, knowing I was no longer someone Marcus bothered to hide his cruelty from.
Promoted content
His eyes flicked toward me, and his lips curled into a smile that never reached them.
“You’re nothing,” he whispered as he leaned closer when no one was paying attention, his voice low and sharp like a blade pressed just beneath the skin. “Sign the papers and disappear. You should be grateful I’m letting you walk away.”
Promoted content
My throat tightened, but I forced myself to respond, because silence had already cost me too much.
“I’m not asking for anything outrageous,” I said quietly, my voice trembling despite my effort to steady it. “Just what’s fair. Child support. The house is jointly titled. I need stability for the baby.”
Elara laughed, loudly enough that a few heads turned, her tone dripping with contempt rather than humor.
“Fair?” she said, tilting her head as she looked me up and down. “You trapped him with that pregnancy. You should be thanking him for not cutting you off entirely.”
I stepped back, dizziness washing over me. “Don’t refer to my child like that.”
Her eyes hardened, and before I could react, she stepped into my space and slapped me across the face with a force that sent my head snapping sideways, the sound echoing unnaturally loud in the courtroom, followed by a metallic taste flooding my mouth as pain radiated through my cheek.
For half a second, the room froze.
Then whispers erupted like sparks catching fire.
Marcus didn’t rush to stop her. He didn’t look shocked. He smiled faintly, as if mildly entertained.
“Maybe now you’ll listen,” he murmured.
Read more by clicking the (NEXT »») button below!
