The days after the first hearing unfolded with an unsettling slowness. For Alliah, every hour seemed to stretch, heavy with questions. What would happen next? Would the annulment proceed smoothly, or would it drag on like so many cases she had heard about? The waiting became its own battle, a quiet war waged in her heart.
Yet life didn’t pause just because she was waiting. She still had to get up, care for Joshua, write her manuscripts, and manage her health. The combination was exhausting. Some mornings she barely had the strength to pull herself out of bed. Other mornings, she forced a smile, determined not to let Joshua notice the heaviness inside her.
Jamiro noticed, of course. He always did.
Morning Routine
One Monday morning, Alliah shuffled into the kitchen to find Jamiro alread
