Mario nods. “And given what just happened in there, I doubt Mr. Walsh will risk violating it. He knows he lost. Badly.”
“But what if he tries something anyway?” The muscle in Heather’s jaw tightens as she grimaces. “What if he doesn’t care about the restraining order?”
“Then he goes to jail,” Richard says simply. “Judge Morrison made it very clear. No contact means no contact. If he calls, texts, or shows up at your home, workplace, or April’s school, you call the police immediately. They’ll enforce the order.”
“We can also pursue a harassment charge if he continues any pattern of behavior,” Jennifer adds. “But honestly, Ms. Lucas, I think he got the message today. Men like Steven are bullies. They thrive on control and intimidation. You took that power away from him in front of everyone.”
Heather nods slowly, processing it all.
“There’s one more thing we should discuss,” Richard says. “Given the circumstances, I’d recommend we file for a formal termination of his parental rights.”
“What does that mean?” Heather asks.
“It means legally severing any connection he has to April. He’d have no claim to custody, no visitation rights, nothing. It’s a permanent solution.”
“Can we do that?”
“Absolutely. He abandoned his responsibilities for nine years. He has no relationship with the child. And now he’s demonstrated a pattern of harassment and threatening behavior. A judge would almost certainly grant it.”
Heather looks up at me, and I can see the hope flickering in her eyes. The possibility of Steven being completely, permanently out of their lives.
“Do it,” I say. “Whatever it takes to make sure he can never come back.”
Richard nods. “We’ll start the paperwork this week. It’ll take some time to process, but I’m confident we’ll get the outcome we want.”
“Thank you,” Heather says. “All of you. I don’t know how to repay you for this.”
“You already did,” Jennifer says with a warm smile. “You showed up and fought. That’s all we needed from you.”
Mario extends his hand to shake both of ours. “If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to call. But I think the hard part is over now.”
Richard gathers the rest of his papers. “We’ll be in touch once we have updates on the termination of rights. In the meantime, go celebrate. You earned this win.”
They head out, leaving Heather and me alone in the empty courtroom.
For a long moment, neither of us says anything. We just stand there, surrounded by the quiet, letting everything sink in.
Then Heather lets out a long, shaky breath. Relief washes over her face as she looks up at me.
“It’s over,” she says. “Grant, it’s actually over.”
“Yeah, Hurricane. It’s over.”
“It doesn’t feel real yet. But I know I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“You absolutely could have. I’m glad you let me help, but I mean it, Heather. The way you stood up to him like that? That was all you. I just had your back.”
“You had my back through all of it.” She reaches up and covers my hand with hers. “The lawyers, the support, being here today when you should’ve been at practice. I don’t even know how to thank you for all of that.”
“You don’t have to thank me at all. I didn’t do it for the thanks.”
“How about this?” She smiles, and it’s the first real, unguarded smile I’ve seen from her in weeks. “Thank you for believing in me. For keeping me sane and helping with April and all the million little things you do every day that I definitelynotice even if I don’t always do the best job of showing my gratitude in the moment. But Iamgrateful for you. Every minute of every day.”
“I know you are. And I’ll always believe in you. I’ll always be here for you.” I lean down and kiss her, slow and gentle, until she melts into me.
When we finally pull apart, I take her hand. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
We walk out of the courtroom together, and I can feel her starting to relax beside me. We push through the heavy doors and step outside into the fresh air.
