TWENTY-EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS: The Price of Standing Her Ground

Two days later.

Inside the visiting facility of the Napa County Jail, the air was cold and smelled of floor wax and stale coffee.

I sat on a hard plastic chair behind a thick pane of bulletproof glass. On the other side, Adrian was led in by two armed guards. He looked hollowed out. His charcoal designer suit had been replaced by a oversized orange jumpsuit, his groomed hair was messy, and dark circles shadowed his eyes.

He picked up the heavy plastic phone receiver with a trembling hand. I picked up mine.

"Are you happy now, Claire?" he rasped, his voice cracking through the static speaker. "You destroyed my family. You stole my father's company. You put my mother under house arrest."

"You did all of that yourself, Adrian," I replied through the glass. "The moment you raised that plate, you signed the death warrant on your old life."

Adrian leaned his forehead against the glass, his eyes wild. "I loved you, Claire! I gave you everything! You were nothing until I married you!"

"You didn't give me anything," I said softly. "You used my salary to cover your credit card debts. You used my grandfather's condo as collateral promises to your parents. You treated me like an asset to be liquidated when your family ran out of money."

He slammed his fist against the counter, causing a guard nearby to take a step forward. "I will be out on appeal in six months! My lawyers will strip that company back from you!"

"Your lawyers haven't been paid in two weeks, Adrian," I informed him flatly. "All Sterling family accounts have been frozen by the IRS. The winery is under my corporate control. And this morning, a judge granted my emergency petition for an absolute divorce."

Adrian froze, his face draining of what little color remained. "What?"

"We are officially divorced," I said, holding up my bare left hand—no wedding ring, no polish, just clean skin. "And as part of the fault-based settlement for physical assault, the court awarded me full title to our marital assets, including the Napa estate."