Chapter 32 - The Final Verdict
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The legal battle with Andrew ended not with a bang, but with a highly satisfying whimper.
Naomi called me on a Wednesday afternoon. I was sitting in my office, reviewing lab results, when her number popped up. I answered, putting her on speakerphone.
"It's over," Naomi announced, sounding incredibly smug. "The judge just threw out their petition with prejudice. He actually yelled at Vance in chambers for bringing such a baseless, frivolous motion before his court."
I leaned back in my chair, exhaling a breath I felt like I had been holding for weeks. "With prejudice. So he can't file it again?"
"Never," Naomi confirmed. "And it gets better. Because they dragged you through a deposition and forced a forensic audit without a shred of evidence, the judge ordered Andrew to pay your legal fees for this entire circus."
I actually laughed out loud. "He doesn't have the money to pay my fees."
"That is entirely his problem," Naomi said. "I'll put a lien on his car if I have to. The point is, the court officially recognized that he was trying to use the legal system to harass you, and they shut it down hard. You are completely, legally free of him, Lorraine, and their delusions."
May you like
I hung up the phone and looked out my office window at the city skyline. The sky was a brilliant, piercing blue. The heavy, oppressive cloud that had followed me since the day Andrew moved out was finally gone.
The green folder had done its job. It had protected my past, and now, the court had officially protected my future. I was unassailable.
