Chapter 7 - The Final Settlement
The divorce proceedings were finalized by late February, moving through the superior court with the speed and precision of a falling guillotine.
Andrew’s defense attorneys realized within forty-eight hours that fighting the mountain of forensic evidence, the property trust deeds, and the federal embezzlement charges was an exercise in absolute futility. They advised their client to plead guilty in exchange for a recommendation of minimum sentencing guidelines.
On the morning of the final settlement hearing, Andrew sat across the courtroom aisle at the defense table.
He looked hollowed out. His skin had a gray, sallow tint, his tailored suits replaced by a standard orange jumpsuit, his eyes fixed blankly on the polished mahogany defense table. He didn't look up when I walked into the courtroom accompanied by my father and Arthur. He didn't try to catch my eye.
The judge’s gavel struck the sound block with a sharp, definitive crack.
“The court accepts the uncontested dissolution of marriage between Hannah Bennett and Andrew Morrison,” the judge announced clearly. “Sole physical and legal custody of the minor child is granted permanently to the petitioner, Hannah Bennett. All property rights, trust distributions, and corporate assets held under the Bennett-Corsa estate remain exclusively with the petitioner. Furthermore, a permanent restraining order is issued prohibiting the respondent from any future contact with the petitioner or her child.”
Andrew closed his eyes, his head bowing low as his defense attorney patted his shoulder in hollow consolation.
As I walked out of the courthouse doors and stepped into the crisp winter sunshine, a warm breeze carried the faint scent of approaching spring.
My father held open the passenger door of his truck. I slid into the front seat, looking back one last time at the granite steps of the courthouse where my old life had officially ended.
I wasn't the frightened, isolated woman who had walked out of that suburban cage on Christmas Eve holding a crying baby and two garbage bags.
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I was Hannah Bennett.
Author, survivor, mother, and sovereign of my own destiny.
