One hand rested possessively on Adrian’s arm.
She was claiming her prize before the judge had even entered the courtroom.
My unborn child moved sharply beneath my ribs.
But even that physical discomfort was eclipsed by the suffocating humiliation of seeing them together.
Openly.
Confidently.
As though I no longer deserved even the small dignity of secrecy.
Adrian’s eyes briefly found mine.
He murmured something to Vanessa, removed her hand from his arm, and walked toward me.
He placed both palms against the table and leaned over me, trapping me beneath his shadow.
The scent of his cologne—sandalwood mixed with bergamot—closed my throat.
“You’re nothing,” he whispered.
His voice was melodic, controlled, and sharp enough to cut.
He smiled politely for the bailiff watching from across the room.
“Sign the papers and disappear. You should be kneeling in gratitude because I’m allowing you to leave with the clothes you’re wearing.”
I swallowed and forced myself to meet his eyes.
Silence had already taken too much from me.
“I’m not asking for anything unreasonable,” I replied. “The house is jointly titled. I need stability for the baby.”
Adrian’s smile vanished.
For one brief moment, the charming mask slipped, revealing the emptiness underneath.
He leaned closer.
“You believe you have leverage, Claire?”
His voice dropped into a lifeless calm.
“That delivery truck that ran the light last month and forced your car off the road—the one that almost sent you and that parasite through the windshield?”
My heartbeat stopped.
“That wasn’t an inattentive driver,” he whispered. “Continue demanding the house, and the next one won’t miss.”
Cold dread spread through my body.
This wasn’t merely intimidation.
He had threatened my life.
He had threatened my unborn child.
Before I could respond, Vanessa stepped between us.
She laughed loudly enough to attract attention from the gallery.
“Fair?” she sneered, looking directly at my stomach. “You trapped Adrian with that pregnancy because you knew he was leaving. You’re pathetic.”
I gripped the table as dizziness washed over me.
“Do not speak about my child.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Or what, you useless incubator?”
She suddenly lunged.
Vanessa swung one manicured hand across my face.
The sla:p cracked through the courtroom like a gu:nsh0t.
