Subpoenas went out. Accounts were traced. Transfers labeled restructuring looked more like extraction.
An offer came. Limited access in exchange for silence.
The second hearing was different.
Questions were sharper. Answers weaker.
Silence fell.
Three months after that parking lot, the ruling came down.
Funds returned pending investigation. Primary custody granted. Restraining order dismissed.
The judge’s voice was firm.
“False claims of incapacity will not be tolerated.”
That night, we ate pasta together at a small table.
A week later, I flew back.
Michael walked me to security.
“I didn’t think I’d survive this,” he said.
“You didn’t survive because you were strong,” I told him. “You survived because you didn’t disappear.”
The car is gone now. Sold. Forgotten. Continue reading…