Miles stood. "The petitioner relies on the evidence submitted, Your Honor."
Victoria's lawyer, Rossi, rose more slowly. She looked tired, defeated before she'd even begun. "The respondent wishes to express her deep remorse for any pain caused during these proceedings and asks the court for mercy."
"Noted." Judge Flores's tone suggested she was unimpressed. "I have reviewed the security footage from the Sterling residence on the day of the incident. I have reviewed the medical reports detailing the injuries sustained by the minorchild. I have reviewed the testimony given in this court, as well as the subsequent public statements made by both parties."
She paused, her gaze finding Victoria's empty chair; she hadn't arrived yet, I realized. Running late to her own destruction.
The courtroom doors banged open.
Victoria swept in; she was dressed in white. It was a calculated choice, I was sure, meant to convey innocence. Her makeup was flawless, her expression composed, but I could see the cracks beneath the surface. The desperation.
"My apologies, Your Honor," Victoria said breathlessly. "Traffic?—"
"Sit down." Judge Flores's voice could have frozen water. "As I was saying."
I kept my eyes forward, but I felt Victoria's gaze burning into the side of my face. Hatred radiated from her like heat from a furnace.
"The evidence in this case is overwhelming," Judge Flores continued. "The respondent has demonstrated a pattern of behavior that is fundamentally incompatible with the welfare of a child. Emotional manipulation. Verbal cruelty. And finally, an act of physical violence that resulted in serious injury to a seven-year-old girl."
She looked directly at Victoria now.
"Mrs. Sterling, I have watched the footage of your vehicle striking your stepdaughter. I have watched it multiple times. What I see is not an accident. What I see is acceleration. What I see is a woman so consumed by rage that she was willing to harm a child to express it."
Victoria's composure cracked. "That's not… I didn't mean to?—"
"You will have your opportunity to speak at your criminal proceeding." Judge Flores's voice was ice. "This is a family court.My concern is the welfare of Millie Sterling. And my ruling is clear."
The courtroom held its breath.
"Full legal and physical custody is granted to the petitioner, Nathaniel Sterling. The temporary restraining order against Victoria Sterling is made permanent and extended to include all contact, direct or indirect, with the minor child until she reaches the age of majority. The petition for divorce is granted on grounds of irreconcilable differences and spousal misconduct. The prenuptial agreement is upheld in its entirety."
The gavel fell.
It was over.
I sat very still, letting the words wash over me. Full custody. Permanent restraining order. Divorce granted. The marriage that had been slowly poisoning my household for two years was finally, officially dead.
"Mr. Sterling." Miles's hand was on my shoulder. "It's done. You won."
“Congratulations, man,” James said, tapping my back with a bright smile on his face.
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
There was no time to process. We had thirty minutes before Victoria's criminal sentencing in Courtroom B. Thirty minutes before the state delivered its own verdict on what she'd done to my daughter.
I stood to leave, and that's when the doors at the back of the courtroom opened again.
The world narrowed to a single point.
Claire.
She stood in the doorway, dressed in a simple dark green dress, her auburn hair pulled back from her face. She looked thinner than I remembered, paler, shadows carved beneath her eyes. But she was here. After everything: the hearing,the humiliation, my cowardly text message, and her two-word response. She was here.
Our eyes met across the crowded courtroom.
I forgot how to breathe.
She didn't smile. Didn't wave. Just held my gaze for a long moment, something unreadable in her expression, and then slipped into an empty seat in the back row of the gallery.
