Chapter 3 - THE AFTERMATH OF EXPOSURE
Across the street, the chaos unfolded like a slow-motion car crash. Aunt Elena slammed her casserole dish down on top of a plastic cooler, grabbed her purse, and marched away toward her car without saying goodbye. The cousin with the giant speaker dropped it onto the pavement with a dull thud. Within ten minutes, the grand birthday celebration had completely disintegrated into a screaming match between Ofelia, Sergio, and their humiliated relatives.
I sat back in the diner booth, sipping my coffee as the adrenaline slowly ebbed from my veins, replaced by a cold, sharp clarity.
My phone buzzed continuously.
Sergio: Mariana, please, let's talk. You're destroying our marriage over a misunderstanding.
Sergio: Mom is having chest pains. Open the gate, please.
Ofelia: You will pay for this humiliation. You are nothing without this family.
I blocked both of their numbers instantly.
My attorney, Ricardo Saldaña, walked into the diner a few minutes later, sliding into the booth across from me with a briefcase in hand. He looked out the window at the empty sidewalk where the birthday mob had just been standing.
"Looks like the eviction notice came a little early," Ricardo chuckled quietly, setting a fresh set of legal papers on the table.
"They thought they could outsmart me," I said, sliding the papers toward myself. "How fast can we file for divorce and a formal restraining order?"
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"The divorce papers are already drawn up," Ricardo said, his eyes filled with professional respect. "Given that we have clear video evidence of him attempting to access your private property documents without consent, combined with the prenuptial agreement protecting your sole inheritance, we can have him served by this afternoon."
"Do it," I replied without hesitation. "And draw up trespassing warnings for Ofelia and her entire side of the family. If they come within five hundred feet of my house, I want them arrested."
