Chapter 10 - The Siege of 3BBy Thursday evening, Garrett had refused to leave the condo.
According to the building concierge, Greg, Garrett had locked himself inside Unit 3B, ordered takeout three times a day, and refused to answer the door when my process server attempted to deliver follow-up court notices.
Even worse, Lorraine had begun a smear campaign on social media. She posted photos from past holidays, tagging my distant relatives and friends, claiming that I had "financially abused" her son, abandoned him without support, and kicked a loyal husband out onto the street during a family emergency.
My phone was blowing up with messages from confused aunts and distant cousins asking what was happening.
I sat in Elena Ruiz’s office on Friday morning, looking at the printouts of Lorraine’s Facebook posts.
"This is standard public shaming," Elena said, setting down her pen. "They want to drag you into a public mudslinging match so you feel pressured to compromise just to make the noise stop."
"It won't work," I said flatly. "I don't care what my aunt in Ohio thinks about my marriage."
"Good," Elena said. "Because we have a better tool. Since Garrett is refusing to leave voluntarily and has barricaded himself in the unit, we are filing an Emergency Ex Parte Motion for Exclusive Use and Possession of the Marital Residence this afternoon."
"How fast can the judge sign it?"
"Given that the property was purchased entirely by you prior to the marriage, that Garrett’s name is absent from the deed, and that we have documented financial dissipation," Elena said with a sharp grin, "the judge will sign it by four o'clock today."
"And then?"
Elena leaned forward. "And then, at nine o'clock tomorrow morning, two sheriff's deputies will accompany you to Unit 3B. They will remove Garrett from the premises, and a locksmith will change every lock on the floor."
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of four years finally beginning to lift off my shoulders.
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"Tell the locksmith to bring extra keys," I said. "I'm changing the security codes, too."
Here are Chapters 11 through 15, bringing the story through the tense sheriff's eviction, the bitter court battle, and the complete exposure and collapse of Lorraine and Garrett’s schemes.
