Ryan stared at Helen in utter shock.

“You’re ruining me,” Ryan whispered, his voice cracking.

“You ruined yourself when you left your wife on a bloody hospital bed,” Thomas said from beside me, his voice carrying the weight of decades of silent resentment.

Judge Vance nodded, signing the decree with a heavy stroke of her pen.

“The financial terms are approved as submitted,” Judge Vance said. “The liquidation of Mr. Parker’s shares will proceed under court supervision to ensure the petitioner receives her full settlement.”

She banged her gavel, the sharp sound echoing through the quiet courtroom.

“We are adjourned.”

As we stood up, Margaret marched over to our table, her eyes wild with anger.

“You think you’ve won, Emma?” Margaret hissed, her voice trembling. “You’re nothing without our family. I will make sure everyone in this city knows what you are.”

“Actually, Margaret,” Helen said, pulling a tablet from her bag. “The press has already been notified of the court’s findings.”

She showed Margaret a live local news feed.

The headline read: *Prominent Philanthropist Margaret Parker’s Foundation Implicated in Harassment of Newborn and Mother.*