Victoria tried to protest, but security emptied her designer handbag onto the table. The sapphire-and-diamond necklace spilled out, glittering under the harsh lights.
Proof.
Sebastian staggered back as police moved to detain Victoria for perjury.
But justice didn’t erase what he had nearly done.
Maria swayed.
“Mom?” Daniel whispered.
She collapsed.
Sebastian caught her before she hit the floor.
For the first time in eight years, he held her. She felt frighteningly light.
“I can’t feel my legs… it’s happening,” she murmured.
He broke.
“No. I won’t let you go,” he said, tears falling openly. “I’ll fight this. I’ll spend everything. I just found you again.”
He carried her out of the courtroom, followed by his sons and his mother.
Days later, the silence in her hospital room felt different. Softer. Hopeful.
Maria lay weak but stable. Sebastian had moved his work to the hallway and slept in a chair beside her bed.
One afternoon she woke to find him without his tie or watch. A basin of warm water sat on the tray table. He gently took her gloved hands and removed the rubber.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Cleaning,” he said quietly. “You cleaned my floors. My mistakes. Let me take care of you now.”