Chapter 12 - The Final Face-Off
In the private holding cell behind the courtroom, Adrian sat at a stainless steel table, waiting for the transport van to take him to the state penitentiary.
The heavy iron door unlocked, and Claire walked inside. She wore a tailored navy dress, her dark hair pulled back into a graceful braid. She held no bitterness in her eyes—only complete, unwavering strength.
Adrian looked up, his face gaunt and tear-stained. "Claire... you came."
"I came to deliver these personally," Claire said, placing a stack of official court papers on the table.
Adrian looked down at the header: Final Decree of Divorce and Total Termination of Parental Rights.
"Claire... please," Adrian choked out, pressing his hands against the table. "Don't strip my name from her birth certificate! Let me at least send her letters! Let me be her father when I get out!"
"You tried to sell her before she could even walk, Adrian," Claire said, her voice dropping into a low, firm register. "You gave up the right to be called her father the second you handed that forged folder to me on my hospital bed."
"I was desperate!" Adrian cried. "I was stupid!"
"You were greedy," Claire corrected. "And now, you have fourteen years to think about what greed cost you."
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She picked up her pen, signed the final line of the decree, and walked out without looking back once.
👉 Read PART 13 to see how Claire transformed Hale Financial into something miraculous!
