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.”
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.
