The judge called Desmond up and handed the divorce paper to him. "You can now sign the divorce paper."
Daniella stared at Desmond as he took the paper to sign. Her chest was heaving, her mind grasping for anything. Anything that could salvage this unexpected situation, but there was nothing she could do.
Desmond took out his pen and signed the paper. He wasn't signing any of his properties out, but rather, he was signing Daniella out of his life forever.
Desmond finished and returned back to his seat. His silence was a stark contrast to Daniella’s spiraling emotions. He had played his game perfectly, and now he watched as the woman who had tried to take everything from him was left with nothing.
For the first time that day, Daniella felt a cold, creeping fear. She wasn’t just losing the fight—she was losing everything. And there was nothing she could do to stop it.
Daniella’s world seemed to collapse around her. The weight of the verdict was sinking into her consciousness like an unrelenting tide. But she wasn’t ready to accept it. She can't lose everything.
"No!" she exclaimed, her voice echoing across the quiet room. "This is nonsense judgement! I don’t accept this decision!"
The judge raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by how she was acting. "Mrs. Daniella," she said firmly, "the judgment has been made based on the evidence provided. There is nothing further to discuss. It doesn't matter if you accept or reject the judgment." The judge said, and Daniella shook her head.
"No, no, no! This is all wrong. This judgment was made in Desmond’s favor! It’s obvious they’ve done something behind the scenes to deny me my rights!" She said and turned to Desmond. "You are a cheat, Desmond. A cheat!"
Desmond sat quietly as Daniella continued to rant out her frustrations. He leaned back slightly with an unshaken composure.
Daniella's lawyer, who had been sitting silently beside her, finally stepped in, placing a hand gently on her arm to try to calm her. "Daniella, please sit down and calm down. This is not the best way to handle this."
"No!" Daniella snapped, pulling her arm away. Her eyes was filled with tears as her voice wavered. "I won’t sit down. I won’t accept this. I sacrificed everything for this. I spent so much. And now you are telling me that I will be leaving with nothing?"
The lawyer sighed deeply and glanced at the judge. It was clear she sympathized with Daniella’s emotions, but the evidence was undeniable. She turned back to her client and spoke gently. "Daniella, I would support you if I could. But the prenuptial agreement is one hundred percent original. It’s valid. There’s nothing we can do."
The judge leaned forward slightly. "Mrs. Daniella," she said with a firm voice. This time, her tone was taking on a more authoritative edge. "Let me remind you that the court’s role is to uphold the law. The prenuptial agreement cannot be dismissed. Trick or not, it has been signed and stamped. Its authenticity is unquestionable. As it stands. You are walking away with nothing."
Daniella remained standing, her breathing erratic, her mind racing for some way to turn things around. "This is not a fair judgement. I deserve to walk away with what’s mine! What I deserve. You are a woman. You know I'm entitled to his properties. I'm not the first, or the second, or the third. Mine will not be different."
"I understand your frustrations. But as it stands now, you can only take what he is willing to give to you. Anything he's willing to offer you. You don't have the right anymore. With that said, this case is dismissed." The judge declared and hit the gavel, solidifying her judgment.
Daniella felt her knees weaken, her hands gripping the edge of the table for support. Her heart raced, her chest tight as the reality of the situation began to sink in fully. The judge stood up and grabbed her files to leave.
She glanced at Leonard, hoping for some kind of reassurance, but he had his head down. He was so embarrassed that he couldn't look up.
"This…this is unacceptable!" Daniella yelled out. "You can’t do this to me. You can’t! I won’t accept it. I won’t!"
The judge, who was on her way out to leave, stopped and turned back to Daniella. "Mrs. Daniella, the law has spoken. You can go home."
Daniella opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't. She wanted to fight, to overturn the judgment. But she knew deep down that she was powerless.
When the judge walked out of sight, Desmond turned to his family, "Let's go home." He strode towards the exit but Bella and her mother turned and walked towards Daniella. They won't be satisfied without feasting on Daniella.