Part 13
The night before the hearing, the sky turned a dark, bruised purple.
A heavy rain began to pelt against the glass windows of my high-rise.
I spent hours checking and re-checking Lily’s documents, her medical records, and the stack of financial statements Robert had compiled.
Everything was neatly organized in a black leather briefcase.
It looked like a collection of papers, but to me, it was a weapon.
Around nine o'clock, my building’s concierge called the intercom.
"Ms. Elena, there is a woman in the lobby demanding to see you. She says she is your former mother-in-law."
My hands tightened around the receiver.
"Did you let her up?" I asked, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
"No, ma'am. Security is holding her. She is causing quite a scene."
"Keep her there. I'm coming down," I said.
I didn't want this woman anywhere near the floor where my daughter slept.
I took the elevator down, the smooth hum of the machine doing nothing to quiet the steady thumping of my heart.
When the doors opened into the lobby, I saw her.
Evelyn Vance, the woman who used to look down her nose at my clothes, my family, and my choices.
She looked unraveled.
Her expensive coat was damp from the rain, her hair was coming loose from its perfect bun, and her eyes were wild.
The moment she saw me, she broke away from the security guard.
"Elena! You malicious, ungrateful little girl!" she shrieked, her voice echoing off the marble walls.
"Look at what you’ve done to my family! Jason’s reputation is ruined! Our names are in the papers!"
I walked up to her, stopping just a few feet away, completely unmoved by her hysterics.
"Your family ruined themselves, Evelyn," I said, my voice ice-cold.
"You raised a thief, a liar, and a coward. And you helped him try to steal my daughter."
She raised her hand as if to slap me, but the security guard instantly stepped in, grabbing her wrist.
"Touch me, and you'll spend the night in a holding cell instead of waiting for the court tomorrow," I whispered, leaning in close so only she could hear.
"Go home, Evelyn. Save your breath. You’re going to need it to beg the judge for mercy."
She stared at me, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
For the first time in her life, she realized she had absolutely no power over me.
May you like
Turning my back on her, I walked back to the elevators without looking cross.
The elevator doors closed on her screams, leaving me in perfect, beautiful silence.
