Her voice was dry, carrying the weight of thirty years on the bench.

I sat down, the leather of my chair cold against my back.

Beside me, Lydia opened her legal pad and unscrewed the cap of her fountain pen.

Across the aisle, Carter remained standing for a second too long before Vivian pulled him down by his sleeve.

Sloane shrank further into the gallery bench behind them.

She looked small in her oversized beige trench coat, her eyes red and swollen.

Judge Vance adjusted her glasses, looking down at the documents.

“We are here to resolve the matter of the dissolution of marriage between Evelyn Vale Hartwell and Carter Hartwell,” the judge began.

“We are also here to address the emergency motion regarding the corporate assets of the entity formerly known as Hartwell Development.”

She paused, looking over the rims of her glasses directly at Carter.

Carter swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple moving convulsively.

“The court has reviewed the financial forensic reports submitted by the receiver,” Judge Vance said.

“We have also reviewed the depositions of Ms. Sloane Whitaker and the banking records from the Swiss accounts.”