We Won!

We Won!
Kayla’s POV

We stepped out of the courtroom into the wide hallway, the heavy wooden doors closing behind us with a dull thud. 

The thirty-minute recess felt both too long and too short. My nerves were frayed. I kept clutching the strap of my handbag like it was a lifeline.

Caleb and his wife didn’t waste any time.

They approached us with long, purposeful strides, their lawyer trailing behind. Caleb’s face was flushed with desperation, while his wife looked like she’d swallowed something sour.

Holly stepped forward immediately, positioning herself like a shield. “Don’t even think about coming closer,” she snapped, voice sharp enough to cut glass. “You’ve done enough damage.”

Caleb ignored her, eyes locked on me. “Kayla, please. Just hear me out. Let me have the boy. You’re still young…you can have more children. I can’t. My wife and I…we’ve tried everything. If I don’t produce an heir soon, I lose everything. The inheritance, the company, my entire future. I’m begging you.”

The same future he abandoned Caden and I for? In his dreams!

His wife stepped up beside him, her pride cracking. “We’ll pay you. Whatever you want. Just name your price. Please.”

“Oh hell no,” Holly muttered, stepping forward like a bodyguard on duty. She planted herself directly in front of them, hands on her hips, looking every bit like an angry chihuahua ready to bite a pit bull.

Caleb tried to sidestep her again. “Kayla, please. Just listen to me. Give me five minutes—”

“Five minutes?” Holly cut him off loudly, voice dripping with sarcasm. “You had six whole years, buddy! Six years of radio silence while my best friend was out here raising your son alone like a damn superhero. Now you want five minutes? The audacity is stunning. Somebody give this man an award for Main Character Syndrome!”

Caleb’s wife tried to speak. “We’re just trying to—”

Holly spun on her. “And you! Miss ‘I married a man who abandoned his child.’ How does it feel knowing the only reason you’re here is because your womb is on strike? Tragic.”

Nathan gently pulled me behind him, his tall frame creating a solid barrier. His voice dropped into that deep, authoritative tone that made people listen.

“Caden is my son now,” he said, each word deliberate and heavy. “You rejected him. You paid to erase him. You abandoned Kayla when she needed you most. You don’t get to crawl back years later because your inheritance is on the line. He’s not a bargaining chip. He’s a child. My child. And I protect what’s mine. If you come near my family again, I won’t be this civil. Oh, and by the way,I would like to thank you for being a coward. Imagine you weren't, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to be Kayla's husband. So, thanks.”

Caleb’s face twisted. For a second, the mask slipped…he dropped to his knees right there in the courthouse hallway, his wife hesitating only a moment before joining him.

“Please, Kayla,” Caleb begged, voice breaking. “I’ll do anything. Just don’t take this away from me. You can have more kids to make up for Caden. Please!”

Holly burst out laughing. “Wow. Did you really just say that out loud? ‘You can have more kids’? Like Caden is a defective product you can return? The nerve! The absolute gall! I wish I had a weapon  right now.”

The sight should have given me satisfaction. Instead, it made my stomach turn. Nathan immediately turned, wrapping an arm around me and guiding me a few steps away. 

Holly continued to grill them, David standing right beside her…his expression hard like he was daring anyone to touch Holly.

“You don’t need to see this pathetic sight,” Nathan murmured, voice soft but firm.

Before I could respond, Angela stormed over towards us, eyes blazing with fury.

“How is your marriage even real?” she spat at me. “You told me yourself it was fake! You admitted it! Why did you lie to me?”

So, she was the one that told Caleb about the fake marriage? How did she even know Caleb and I knew each other?

Nathan’s expression turned ice-cold. He smiled, but there was nothing kind in it. “Surprise, surprise.” 

Then his voice dropped to a lethal whisper. “You crossed the line, Angela. I will make you pay for trying to be smart when you should have remained dumb. When I’m done with you, you won’t be able to show your face outside your house for years. Consider this your only warning.”

Angela’s eyes filled with tears. “I did it because I love you, Nathan! I’ve always loved you—”

“Get out of my sight,” he said harshly, cutting her off. “You’re disgusting.”

She broke down sobbing and ran off, heels clicking frantically down the hallway.

When we were finally alone again, I turned to Nathan, voice low. “How did the marriage certificate become real? When did you set all this up?”

He exhaled, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “There’s something I need to tell you. But after we’re done here. I hope you’ll hear me out before making any decision.”

I searched his eyes. “What is it?”

“Later,” he promised softly. “I promise.”



We were called back into the courtroom once we were called.

The judge wasted no time.

After listening to the evidence, reviewing the documents, and hearing the jury’s quiet murmurs, she delivered her ruling with clear authority.

“The court finds in favor of Mrs. Kayla Vargas. Full custody of the minor child, Caden, is awarded to the mother. Mr. Caleb Donovan is hereby ordered to have no contact with the child or Mrs. Vargas. A permanent restraining order is issued against Mr. Donovan and his wife. Furthermore, at the request of the local police department, both are banned from entering this country for the remainder of their lives for security reasons.”

Caleb lost it.

“No!” he shouted, standing up so fast his chair scraped loudly. “That’s my flesh and blood! Kayla took him away from me! I just want to atone for my mistakes. I just want to be a father!”

Two court officers were already moving, hauling him and his wife toward the exit as they kept trying to approach me and beg. His wife was crying silently while Caleb continued shouting until the heavy doors closed behind them.

The sound of the judge’s gavel hitting the block echoed through the room like finality.

We won.

I exhaled sharply, then turned and threw my arms around Nathan, hugging him tightly. “We won,” I whispered excitedly against his chest. “Thank you… thank you so much.”

Holly rushed over, squealing. “This calls for a celebration! We need food, drinks, music!”

Nathan kissed the top of my head. “Caleb and his wife are being escorted straight to the airport. They will never set foot in this country again.”

I was short of words. I didn't know how he did it and when he planned all these. Tears gathered in my eyes as I looked at him. “Thank you, Nathan.”

He smiled down at me. “Didn’t I tell you to trust me? Caleb never stood a chance from the beginning. The judge is an old friend of my mother’s, and the jury… Well, they know my family pretty well. Caleb even tried bribing some of them, but they reported it immediately. Everyone in this hall was on our side from the beginning.”

I looked up at him, overwhelmed. “What would I do without you?”

“Absolutely nothing,” he said playfully, then more seriously, “and that’s why you shouldn’t leave me. Don’t throw me away, Kayla.”

Holly laughed loudly just then as the energy turned intense. “Okay, okay…save the lovey-dovey for later! Let’s get out of here and celebrate!”

She started dragging David toward the exit while I walked beside Nathan, his arm securely around my waist.

But even in the middle of my relief and joy, one question kept circling in my mind…

What did Nathan want to tell me? And how exactly did our marriage suddenly become real?

I really hope he didn’t deceive me…