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Judge Whitaker wasted no time; she revoked Daniel’s right to any property from the marriage, awarding the house solely to Emma, and ordering that any visitation of Lily in the future was to be under strict supervision of court social workers. The fraud charges against him would take place separately.
The judge’s eyes fell on both Emma and Lily. “Considering the timeline and the presented information, this court acknowledges the psychological and maternal attachment of Mrs. Caldwell to the child, awarding her total custody rights.”
Emma put her hands to her face and sobbed uncontrollably from sheer happiness. Lily held her in an embrace.
From across the courtroom, Daniel glared at them with hate. “You stripped everything from me.”
Emma glanced at her sleeping infant and then at Lily and then her eyes met Daniel’s.
“No. I just stopped letting you take everything from us.”
And with that, the judge brought down the gavel one final time.
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Outside, the cold air was a relief. Emma swapped the heavy car seat to her other arm, her fingers stiff. Lily walked right at her hip, a tight grip on Emma’s coat sleeve.
At the car, Lily stopped and looked up. “Are we going home now?”
She faltered on the word home, thinking of the kitchen in which Daniel would brew that tea and the bedroom in which he had spent months deceiving her. Daniel’s smell would still be there.
But seeing Lily’s messy braids and hearing the baby breathe from his carrier, she knew they could scrub the smell right out of there. They could paint the walls and open the windows and finally sit down for breakfast without tiptoeing through.
Her chest no longer felt tight.
“Sure thing, sweetheart,” Emma said, unlocking the car door. “Let’s go home.”
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