Married to His Couch, Not Me

Dad was shaking with rage. He raised his hand and slapped me across the face with everything he had.

"Lena! How long are you going to keep this up? Adam has given everything for this family, and you still can't see that? The paternity test is right in front of you, and you're still trying to tear this family apart?"

The slap rang out sharp and loud. He hadn't held back at all, and within seconds the side of my face was swollen and red.

The crowd around us erupted.

Some of them pointed at me and called me heartless. Others shook their heads into their phone cameras, muttering about what kind of person would do something like this.

The tenderness that had been in Adam's eyes when he arrived was gone now, completely replaced by anger. I watched as the last trace of hope faded from his expression.

"Adam, I'll see you in court." I pressed my hand against my burning cheek. My voice was quiet, but he could hear every word.

Adam finally snapped. "Fine. You got it, Lena. I'll see you in court."

I didn't look at him. Instead, I turned to the crowd still pressing in around me. "Move."

Mom and Dad tried to grab hold of me, but I shook them off and pointed at the door. "All of you, get out. You're not welcome here."

…

For the next five days, I turned off my phone and stayed in the hotel room alone. On the day of the hearing, I walked into the courtroom right on time.

Adam was sitting at the plaintiff's table with Lucas in his arms. The baby kept sneaking glances in my direction. Claire was pressed close to Adam's side, watching me with undisguised hostility.

Both families were seated in the gallery. Mom and Dad looked defeated, sighing under their breath. Gerald and Matilda glared at me without blinking.

The moment I sat down, Mom leaned over and whispered urgently.

"Lena, you need to apologize to Adam right now and beg him to forgive you. Your father asked around, and with the way things stand, you're going to walk out of here with nothing."

Claire shot to her feet and pointed at me. "Lena, stop being so stubborn! Adam said if you apologize, he's willing to pretend none of this ever happened. Do you really want to lose everything and get thrown out on the street?"

Gerald slammed his hand on the bench. "For the sake of your child having a proper family, you still have a chance to back down. Otherwise, I'll make sure you don't even have a roof over your head."

I leaned back in my chair and tapped my fingers against the table. I didn't say a word.

The judge struck his gavel and looked at me, his expression serious.

"The defendant, Lena Reeves. The plaintiff, Adam Hargrove, has alleged a pattern of emotional neglect during the marriage. Based on the evidence presented, the court finds that you bear clear fault in this marriage.

"Under the applicable statutes, unless the defense has new evidence to submit, the ruling will be that you leave this marriage with no share of the marital assets."

Everyone in the courtroom who knew what I'd done was seething. The way they looked at me, they would have thrown the book at me if they could.

The judge glanced at me again, visibly unimpressed by my silence, and raised the gavel to finalize the ruling. That was when my lawyer stood up.

"Your Honor, the defense would like to submit new evidence."