Chapter 9 - THE AFTERMATH
Six months later.
The winter snow had melted into a soft, blooming Chicago spring.
I sat in a quiet outdoor café near the Art Institute, drinking a hot latte, reviewing a new commercial acquisition file on my iPad.
Across the street, the Cook County Criminal Court building stood imposing against the sky.
Victoria Vance walked up to my table, holding a small paper folder, and sat down beside me.
“It’s officially finalized,” Victoria smiled, handing me the decree. “The divorce judgment was entered by Judge Miller twenty minutes ago. You are officially Claire Carter again.”
I took the official document, looking at my maiden name printed in heavy, elegant black ink.
Claire Carter.
“And Daniel?” I asked gently.
“Daniel lost his corporate license,” Victoria reported, taking a sip of her water. “He’s working as a mid-level car salesman in Schaumburg, living in a small rented studio. His mother, Patricia, pled guilty to felony violation of a protective order. She received two years of probation and fifty hours of community service, and her house in Naperville was sold at a sheriff’s auction to cover her creditors.”
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I closed the folder, feeling no triumph, no malice, only a vast, beautiful sense of peace.
They had tried to take my home, my career, and my dignity. But in the end, they had only destroyed themselves.
