[ELARA'S POV]
The courthouse smelled like old paper and fear.
I'd been gripping Damian's hand so tight my fingers hurt. Three hours of sitting. Waiting. Watching other people's disasters play out before we got our turn.
Catherine had everything organized in neat folders. She always did. Every email Sofia sent. Every threatening text from Victor. The police report from when she showed up at our house. That twisted recording where she made us sound like monsters.
The judge was a woman. Fifties. Tired eyes. She'd probably seen a thousand cases like this.
She looked through everything. Took her time. Asked Catherine questions I didn't fully hear because my heart was pounding too loud.
Then she looked at us. At the photos of Isla Catherine had included.
"Temporary restraining order granted. Five hundred feet. Thirty days. We'll reconvene for the permanent hearing."
She signed it. One stroke of a pen.
