The Franklin County courtroom had fallen so silent that the faint buzzing of the fluorescent lights sounded like insects trapped against glass.
Emma Caldwell stood beside her lawyer, one hand resting protectively over her eight-month-pregnant belly. She was pale, exhausted, and worn down by nights that barely felt like sleep anymore. She looked nothing like the young woman who had walked into this same courthouse seven years earlier to marry Daniel Caldwell. Back then, she had worn a yellow sundress and laughed at something he whispered in the elevator. Back then, she believed she knew the man she was choosing.
Across the aisle, Daniel sat stiffly in a navy suit, his jaw clenched, his wedding ring already missing from his finger. Beside him sat Vanessa Price, thirty-one, polished and confident, her dark hair styled in perfect waves. She wore the smile of someone who believed the ending had already been decided in her favor. Every few seconds, she leaned toward Daniel and whispered something that made his mouth twitch.
Judge Margaret Whitaker adjusted her glasses and looked down at Emma.
“Mrs. Caldwell, your petition says you are asking for an immediate divorce and choosing to waive your rights to the marital home, the savings account, both vehicles, and Mr. Caldwell’s business shares. Is that correct?”
