Lila's P.O.V
The courthouse air felt thicker when we stepped back into the hallway after the hearing. Ms. Rivera walked beside me, folder tucked under her arm, already scrolling through her phone to update the case notes. I kept my eyes forward, trying to ignore the way my pulse still hammered in my ears even though the judge’s gavel had fallen twenty minutes ago.
Judge Nguyen had not been satisfied with simply entering the default judgment on the arrearages and the new monthly order. She’d leaned forward over the bench, glasses low on her nose, and fixed her gaze on the empty space where Damien should have been sitting.
“Counsel,” she’d said to Ms. Rivera, “the court is troubled by the respondent’s continued non-appearance and the pattern of evasion documented in the file. While the p
