Chapter 7
The judge called for a recess.
As soon as we stepped outside the courtroom, chaos erupted in the hallway. Reporters were already swarming, and someone had clearly leaked what happened inside.
Julian tried to approach me, but Marcus stepped between us immediately.
“Mr. Vance,” he said coldly, “you are not to approach my client.”
Julian ignored him and looked at me with desperate eyes.
“Iris, please. We can still work something out. I’ll give you whatever you want. Just don’t release those recordings.”
I looked at the man I had once loved and felt nothing.
“You don’t get to negotiate anymore, Julian,” I said quietly. “You already made your choice when you decided to destroy me and take my child away.”
He grabbed my arm.
“Iris, please—”
I looked down at his hand on my arm.
“Take your hand off me,” I said coldly. “Or I will make sure everyone in this building knows exactly what you did to me.”
He let go immediately.
For the first time, Julian Vance looked truly afraid of me.
Nora stood a few feet away, watching us with wide, frightened eyes. The woman who had once smiled at me with such arrogance now looked small and desperate.
I felt nothing for either of them.
Not anger.
Not sadness.
Just a cold, final understanding.
May you like
They had tried to break me.
And they had failed.
