True To Her Name

Leah

I sat down on the bed to put my shoes on while Brennan wandered into the bathroom to shower before court. As I was finishing slipping my low heels on, there was a knock on the door. I glanced at it anxiously before jumping when Brennan appeared in the bathroom doorway with a towel wrapped around his waist.

“I forgot to tell you that Joey texted while you were in the shower. He wanted to take you to the courthouse. He says he wants to speak to you about what’s going to happen today,” he told me as I walked toward the door.

“You mean what will happen if Will shows up,” I mumbled, my anxiety over today coming through.

“Yeah. I suppose so. Even though I have a feeling he will be there.”

I pulled the door open, smiling brightly at Joey. “Good morning.”

“Morning, Leah. Are you ready to go?” He asked.

“No. I don’t want to go without Brennan.”

Brennan wrapped his arms around my waist, placing a kiss on my neck. “Go with Joey, baby. I will be right behind you. I’ll be there before it starts.”

“Do you promise?”

“Yes, Phoenix. Go on now. It’s time to spread your wings.”

“I have no wind to fly on,” I said bitterly, not wanting to tell him just how defeated I felt knowing that Will wasn’t going to come today.

He put my arms up before blowing on my neck as he ran his hands up my arms to my shoulders. “I’m your wind, baby.”

I sighed happily as I turned my head to look at him. “You’re so sappy.”

He pecked my lips before nudging me toward Joey. “Only for you. I love you, Leah.”

“I love you too. Hurry up and shower,” I told him. “And don’t forget my bag when you come to the courthouse.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

I took a deep breath as I took Joey’s outstretched arm. “I guess I’m ready.”

He led me down the hallway, pulling me along behind him when I stopped outside a door where I could have sworn I heard Caleb talking angrily to someone.

“Was that Caleb?” I asked him.

“Do you want donuts? Maddie wanted Donuts before I left and I told her I promised to get her some,” he responded, completely ignoring my question.

“Joey, was that Caleb?”

He raised an eyebrow at me. “Caleb? I spoke to him this morning. He will be at the court today but he’s going to be a little late. Now, about those donuts. Are you hungry?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Good. I’m starving. Get in. There’s a little donut shop down the road.”

I watched the hotel fade out of view, still wondering if it was truly Caleb I heard in that room. I wanted to press the issue, but I knew Joey wouldn’t answer me. Ten minutes later, he was driving down the road with a glazed donut in his hand while I tried to carefully eat my raspberry jelly donut without getting any of it on my clothes. When he finished his donut, he glanced at me.

“How are you feeling today?” He inquired softly.

“I’m worried that he's not going to show up. I’m even more worried about what is going to happen if he does show up,” I admitted.

He reached over to take my hand, squeezing it once before letting it go. “Well, if he does show up, we will get everything handled. It will be easy. You are not asking for anything.”

“What if he tells the judge he doesn’t want a divorce?” I asked worriedly, twisting my hands together.

“He can’t refuse to divorce you. If he doesn’t show up, which I don’t think will be the case today, the judge will reset the case. After a couple of times of him not showing up, the judge will sign off on the divorce. Will has been served. He’s aware of what’s going on. All you have to do is keep showing up,” he told me.

“But what if he shows up and tries to take stuff from me? I don’t have anything he can take. What if he tries to claim mine and Brennan’s baby? I should have never told him that I was pregnant. I was just so angry. Oh, God. What did I do?”

“Leah, breathe. It’s okay. I promise you that everything is going to be okay. I will be by your side the entire time and Brennan, as well as the rest of your family, will be there too. Just keep breathing. We have submitted all the correct paperwork to prove that you don’t have any personal assets, and since you are forfeiting all of the marital assets, Will has no leg to stand on. And as for the baby situation, you can prove it’s not Will’s. So again, he has no leg to stand on. Stop worrying so much. Whatever happens, I will help you through it. None of us are going to let him hurt you.”

I took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. “I know. Maddie already punched him in the throat.”

He laughed as he grabbed the donut holes. “Yep. That’s my woman. All fire! Come on. We better take these to Maddie before she eats Mallory and Cobra.”

We got out of the car to hurry over to Maddie, who scarfed down the donut holes on the way into the courthouse. When we made it into the courtroom, I was surprised to see that there were already a lot of people inside. I was even more surprised when I saw Nathan sitting in the front row. I glanced around looking for Miriela but she was nowhere in sight. I turned around to face him when we reached the table sitting a few feet from the witness box.

“Where’s Miriela?”

“In Eden. She knew today was a big day for you, and since she wasn’t here herself, she wanted to make sure that you knew she supported you.”

I nodded, fully understanding why she didn’t want to come. Facing Will would be too much for her, considering what she went through with his ‘brothers.’ The longer we waited for Will to arrive, the more anxious I became until I turned to Joey.

“He’s not coming,” I whispered.

He patted my hand. “Relax, Leah. It’s only 8:55. He’s not late for another 5 minutes. The judge hasn’t even come in.”

Almost as if his words commanded the room, the doors opened behind us, and when I turned around to look, I sucked in a breath upon seeing Caleb and Brennan leading an obviously drugged Will into the room, while Rhino rounded up their small party. I held my breath as Brennan had Will sit at the table across from us with Caleb taking the chair next to him. Brennan leaned down to talk quietly to Will as he met my eyes. Will paled before glancing at me, and nodding. Brennan straightened before coming over to my table.

“How are you feeling, baby?” He murmured softly as he took my hand.

“I-I’m–you brought him?” I whispered.

“I’ll get you anything you need. I love you.”

“I love you too, Brennan.” I took another shaky breath. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, Leah. You worked hard for this. I am proud of you and will support you. We’ll talk later.”

He pecked my lips before going to sit next to Maddie as the bailiff called everyone to order so Judge Tolliver could come into the courtroom. When he did, he eyed Will.

“Are we ready to begin?” He asked.

“Yes, Your Honor,” Caleb and Joey answered in sync.

“Perfect. Upon reviewing the documents that were submitted to the courts by Leah Adams, there is nothing to discuss in terms of property division from her side. Is there anything you wish to add to the terms of the divorce, Mr. Adams?” Judge Tolliver asked, causing me to instantly tense up.

“Actually, yes. I want–” His body locked up and drool rolled down his chin. “No, everything is fine. Whatever she wants,” he finally managed to mumble.

“Is there anything else you want to add, Mrs. Adams?”

I shook my head, and Joey cleared his throat. “No, Your Honor. My client just wants this to be over with.”

Judge Tolliver nodded before looking down at his desk. He wrote on a paper before looking back up at us.

“You will both receive copies in the mail in a few days.” He looked at me before turning toward Will. “Court is adjourned.”

The way he said it sounded like he was daring Will to say something, but when he didn’t, the judge stood up and left the room, while I reached out to grip Joey’s arm.

“Wh-what happens now?” I asked as my heart beat wildly in my chest.

I wasn’t sure if I really believed what happened. Joey patted my hand as he smiled at me.

“Now, you go kiss Brennan and let him remind you for the rest of your life that you are free and loved. Congratulations, Leah. You never have to worry about Will coming back into your life.”

I stood up, my legs shaking as I stared at Will. I couldn’t wrap my head around what Joey was saying. I was free. I didn’t feel free. So, was this real?

“Leah?” Brennan called my name softly. “Are you alright?”

I nodded before leaving the table I was at to approach Will. Caleb shifted so that I could see Will, but he couldn’t get to me, even if he tried.

“Will?”

“What do you want?” He hissed.

“I just wanted to tell you that I will never forget what you did to me.”

His face lit up as he smirked at me. “Good! Whenever you want to come back, I’ll be more than happy to give you more.”

Caleb shot him an angry look, which only made him chuckle darkly. I tilted my head as the fear that I expected to feel at his words never came. I just felt peace, happiness, and hope. I knew that as soon as I walked out of the doors, this part of my life was going to be over. I let out a shaky breath as I met his eyes.

“Even though you don’t deserve it, I forgive you, Will.”

Before he could respond, I spun on my heels to walk away from him, ignoring him when he started to yell obscenities and threats behind me. I took Brennan’s outstretched hand, immediately curling my fingers around his.

“He really does not deserve your forgiveness, Leah,” he told me as we walked out of the room.

I smiled up at him. “No, but I do. You deserve it too. I didn’t forgive him for him. My forgiveness means nothing to him, but for me it means everything. It means I can let go of everything that he has done. I can make a real attempt at letting go of all the fear that he hass caused me.” I stopped to turn toward Brennan, stepping in front of him with my face tilted up. “I can finally be what I want to be.”

“And what is that?” He asked.

“Truly free. It is all I ever wanted, and now I am. Thanks to you.”

He pulled me closer to his chest as he wrapped an arm around my waist. “All I needed was for you to take one step. Even if it was a tiny one.”

I melted against him as he repeated the words I told Miriela. He was right. All I needed to do was take a tiny step, and now that I had, I was ready to take leaps and bounds. Both with him and by myself. Because I was no longer Leah Adams, slave to Will. I was Leah, a phoenix floating on the wind.