Valeria’s POV
The sound of my phone ringing cut through the moment like a blade.
The sharp vibration jolted me back into my body, back into reality, back into the weight of everything Luka had done to me over the years. I gasped, panic surging through me, and shoved him away with all the strength I had left. My hands were shaking as I lunged for the phone, my heart pounding so violently it hurt.
I answered without even checking the caller ID.
“Hello?”
“Valeria, it’s Lillian,” my lawyer said, her voice brisk but gentle in that way she always used when delivering news she knew I wouldn’t like. “I just received confirmation for the next custody hearing.”
My stomach dropped.
“It’s scheduled for tomorrow.”
Tomorrow.
The word echoed in my head, shrill and deafening. I had almost forgott
