The first petition was filed before I was discharged.
Emergency injunction.
Freeze on property transfers.
Freeze on accounts connected to marital assets.
Temporary custody order.
Restraining order preventing Adrian from removing the children from my care or entering the hospital wing.
Mara moved like a storm in heels.
By evening, Adrian called me seventeen times.
I did not answer.
Then the messages began.
Evelyn, stop being childish.
You don’t understand what you’re doing.
Call me now.
Your parents can’t help you.
You’re making this ugly.
Then, finally:
You’ll regret this.
I stared at that last message for a long time.
My father was standing beside the window.
“May I?” he asked.
I handed him the phone.
He read it. His face remained mild.
Then he gave it to Mara.
She smiled.
“Excellent,” she said. “Threats are useful.”
The next morning, I left the hospital through a private exit.
