Page 112 of Just My Luck

My thumb fingered the simple silver band on my finger.

My attorney nodded. “Thank you, Mr. King. No further questions, Your Honor.”

The judge moved a paper from the stack in front of her. “I have a few questions for you, Mr. King.”

My heart thumped as he nodded. “Of course, Your Honor.”

“The court is aware of your prior conviction.” Judge Barnes’s cool expression gave nothing away.

My eyes bounced between my lawyer, Abel, and the judge.

He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

The judge’s hands clasped together. “Tell me... what has life been like since your release?”

Abel considered for a moment. For the tiniest second, his eyes swept over me before darting away. “In many ways, difficult.”

My chest squeezed.

“Living in a small town where everyone knows you have demons can be difficult,” he continued. “For a while, it was easier to live on the fringe of our community. I’m a bit of an outcast, you can say.” His guileless scoff was a dagger to my heart. “But that all changed when Sloane came into my life.”

His eyes lifted to mine. “Through her, I realized that bad things happen to all kinds of people. We make mistakes and wehave to pay for them, but continually punishing ourselves may not always be the right answer. She allowed me to finally see that.”

“So you’ve forgiven yourself then?” Judge Barnes asked.

The corner of Abel’s mouth lifted. “No, Your Honor, but I’m trying. I’ve started therapy—for myself, but also for Sloane and the kids. In fact, it was Ben who’d given me the reassurance I needed to find the strength to even go. I know he got that resilience from his mom. And Tillie?” Abel smiled. “Tillie’s laugh rings out and gets you right here, you know?” He tapped his chest. “She’s a good kid. A happy kid, with a lot of talent. They love their mom, and she loves them—with everything she’s got.”

Judge Barnes didn’t react but simply lifted an eyebrow at Abel. “Ms. Robinson filed paperwork for an uncontested divorce in which you signed. Is that correct?”

“It’s true.” Abel sat tall. “I will do whatever it takes for Sloane and her children to be together. If that means removing myself so that a judge who knows nothing about me can sleep better at night, then so be it. But she will always be my wife.” He thunked a finger against his chest. “Right here.”

The judge set down her pen and flattened her hands against the desk. “Well, that is a very bold and impassioned speech, Mr. King.”

My heart raced as I watched the scene unfold. Abel never wavered under her quiet assessment. My attorney stood next to me, unmoving.

“Mr. King, I have been a judge for many years. In that time I have had women and men, not so unlike yourself, stand before me and make proclamations—claims they’ve changed, that their criminal history was simply a blip. Promises to never skirt the law again. In that time, I’ve learned to suss the liars and the cheats with a fair bit of accuracy.” Her cool gaze stared down atAbel from her bench, and my chest squeezed. “Do you believe me, Mr. King?”

He nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I do.”

Judge Barnes’s expression was unreadable. “Very well.” She looked at my attorney. “Does the defense rest?”

A confident grin split across Laura’s face. “Yes, Your Honor.”

Judge Barnes nodded. “Considering the evidence presented and the absence of the plaintiff, I believe the best outcome to this case is clear. This court will submit a default judgment against plaintiff Jared Hansen.”

She looked at attorney Waxman. “Counselor, once the issue of his whereabouts is resolved, your client is free to re-petition the court, but as of today, I award sole custody to Ms. Robinson,withoutvisitation. I urge you to speak to your client about the seriousness of the current order of protection for Ms. Robinson. He can expect strict consequences if he chooses to be in violation of that order, especially if it comes across my desk again.”

With a grim nod, Jared’s attorney simply said, “Understood, Your Honor.”

“Very well.” The judge turned to me and smiled. “Congratulations, Ms. Robinson. Case dismissed.” The gavel struck her block, and I let out a cry of relief.

It was really over.

Cheers erupted behind me as the swell of support from my friends and family—my town—rolled over me.

My hands came up, burying my face and stifling the sob of relief. I swallowed back the hard ball of emotion as I watched our attorneys shake hands.

Laura turned to me. “Congratulations, Sloane. You earned this.”