Inside the hearing room, we sat across from each other. Just Daniel and me. Patricia tried to enter but was stopped.

This wasn’t her stage anymore.

The judge reviewed our names.

Daniel quickly interrupted.

“This isn’t mutual. She’s overreacting.”

Arturo spoke instead.

“This is not a single incident. It is a pattern—psychological harm, ongoing humiliation, and financial imbalance.”

The judge turned to me.

“Do you wish to proceed?”

I looked at Daniel—not the man I married, but the one who stayed silent every time it mattered.

“Yes.”

He sighed, irritated.

“Lucía, this is too much.”

The judge silenced him.

Then Patricia burst in again, accusing me of manipulation.

She was warned.

Still, she didn’t understand—this was no longer her territory.

When finances were discussed, Daniel straightened, confident.

“There’s nothing complicated,” he said.