Julian looked at me, finally stripped of his charm, his wealth, and his performance. “Iris, please.”
That single word almost made me laugh. Please.
He had never said it when I begged him to stop. Never when I covered dark bruises with heavy makeup before corporate board dinners. Never when he locked me out of my own lab and told major investors I was “too emotional” for executive leadership.
I stepped closer to the railing, just enough for him to hear me clearly.
“You told me I would starve in the street,” I whispered. “Now you can explain to a prison judge how you stole from a woman you thought was too broken to count.”
Marcus handed the final file to the court clerk.
The rulings were decisive: Divorce granted. Emergency asset freeze enacted immediately. Full federal investigation opened. Temporary control of Vance Medical Technologies returned exclusively to me pending a formal board review. Julian’s bank accounts were locked. Nora’s luxury properties were seized. Both of their passports were surrendered to the state.
