[ELARA'S POV]
Sofia didn't show up to the permanent hearing.
Her lawyer sent a letter instead. Some generic bullshit about his client withdrawing her petition and wishing us well. Catherine read it out loud in the courtroom and I wanted to laugh. Wished us well. Like she hadn't tried to steal my daughter through Victor. Like she hadn't twisted everything to make us look like monsters.
The judge didn't care about the letter. She cared about the facts. And the facts were simple.
Sofia had no relationship with Isla. Had abandoned her own daughter at six. Had funded a custody battle. Had lied to police.
Permanent restraining order. Five hundred feet. No contact. No attempts. Nothing.
Done.
We walked out into October and I still couldn't quite believe it. Catherine was saying something about paperwork and enforcement but I wasn't really listening. I was watching Damian. The way his shoulders had finally dropped. The way he was breathing like he'd been holding it for months.
