During the divorce, the husband declared, «Return everything I ever gave you and the kids!» A week laterthere were boxes onhis doorstep. When he opened them he was astounded…

Valerie sat rigidly in the courtroom, her gaze fixed on Leon, across the polished oak table that separated them like a chasm. For a fleeting moment it felt as though she was seeing him for the first time. Not the man she had married twelve years ago, but a stranger cloaked in familiar features.

His sharp jawline, once softened by laughter during late-night talks, now carried a smugness that twisted her stomach. Twelve years of marriage, two children, Steve and Rose, and now this bitter, jagged ending. His eyes gleamed with a triumphant glint, as if he’d won some grand prize, and that smugness cut deeper than his infidelities, deeper than the countless humiliations she’d swallowed to keep their family intact.

A family, she realised now, that only she had ever truly wanted. Leon leaned back in his chair, his tailored suit crisp and unrumpled, exuding an air of victory. He was leaving, leaving her, leaving their life, for Annabelle.

Young, radiant Annabelle, with her confident smile and effortless charm, who Leon believed understood him in ways Valerie never could. Valerie who had poured her soul into their home, into raising Steve and Rose, into building a life she thought they both cherished. She glanced at Leon’s hands, folded casually on the table, and remembered how they used to cradle their children.

Now those same hands seemed indifferent, as if Steve and Rose were no longer his blood, his legacy. Valerie, you okay? Her lawyer, Dwana English, whispered, her voice a low hum of concern. Valerie managed a tight nod, though her throat burned with unshed tears.

She couldn’t afford to unravel here, not in front of him. Across the room Leon’s lawyer murmured something in his ear and he smirked, a flicker of amusement crossing his face. Valerie’s chest tightened.

Did he even think of Steve, who idolised him? Or Rose, who still asked why Daddy was gone so often? Apparently not. Child support? Oh, he’d pay it, begrudgingly of course, the bare minimum required by law. Enough to keep the court off his back, but not a cent more, not when Annabelle’s wants loomed so large in his new life.

Valerie imagined Annabelle’s sleek apartment, filled with expensive trinkets Leon would happily provide, while Rose’s worn-out ballet shoes went unreplaced. The judge’s gavel struck, a sharp crack that echoed in the hushed courtroom. The court grants the divorce as stipulated, the judge intoned, her voice steady and clinical.

Custody of the minor children Stephen and Rose is awarded to Miss Valerie Carter, with Mr Leon Carter, to provide child support, as outlined. Visitation rights to be determined per the agreement. The words washed over Valerie like a distant tide, as if they belonged to someone else’s life.

She stared at the grain of the table, tracing its swirls with her eyes, unwilling to meet Leon’s gaze again. Valerie, Duana said softly, touching her arm. It’s over.

You did what you had to. Did I? Valerie’s voice was barely a whisper, raw with doubt. She thought of Steve’s quiet anger, Rose’s tear-streaked face when she’d explained why Daddy wasn’t coming home.

Had she fought hard enough? Had she failed them by letting it come to this? Leon stood, adjusting his tie with a practised flick, and spared her a single glance, not of regret, but of dismissal. The courtroom felt stifling, the air heavy with the finality of it all. Twelve years of shared life, hopes, dreams, promises, had collapsed like a brittle house of cards, leaving Valerie hollowed out.

The gavel’s echo still lingered in her ears, but what came next was a twist even her seasoned lawyer, Duana English, hadn’t anticipated. As the judge prepared to adjourn, Leon cleared his throat, his voice cutting through the murmurs of the courtroom. Your Honour, he said, his tone edged with a confidence that made Valerie’s skin prickle.

There’s one more thing. Annabelle, standing just behind him, leaned in, her glossy lips curving into a faint, encouraging smile. Valerie’s stomach churned.

What now? The judge, a wiry man with silver hair and a perpetually furrowed brow, peered over his glasses. Yes, Mr. Carter. Leon shifted in his seat, his fingers drumming lightly on the table.

I’d like to request the return of certain… gifts I gave Valerie during our marriage. Expensive ones. He shrugged, as if it were a casual afterthought.

They’re of significant monetary value. A stunned silence blanketed the room. The judge blinked, his frown deepening, and removed his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

I’m sorry, Mr. Carter. Could you clarify what you mean by… gifts? Leon leaned forward, unfazed. Jewelry, for starters.

Like the emerald necklace I got her for our fifth anniversary. The diamond earrings from the podium. Oh, and the antique silver bracelet she always wore to those charity galas.

There’s other stuff, too. A crystal vase. Some designer handbags…