My father took an angry step forward, but I raised my hand to stop him.
“I did not lose a family, Brandon,” I told him. “A real family does not throw dirt at you to teach you your place. I lost a giant lie, and it was the best thing I could have ever lost.”
“Nobody is ever going to want to marry you after all this public drama,” he sneered.
“Then I will live happily without getting married,” I replied. “But I will never live on my knees again.”
I turned my back on him.
Outside the court building, Jessica opened her arms wide for a hug. My mother cried tears of relief. Dad kissed my forehead gently, and Justin held up a brown paper bag full of fresh sweet bread.
“What?” Justin said with a laugh. “Divorces make people hungry too.”
We all laughed together for the very first time without any underlying tension.
