Now, it was my turn to fight back. The first step was to take Ruby to court, demanding she return the money Henry had spent on her. All of it was spent during our marriage, making it part of our marital assets.
Marley was efficient. The court accepted the case quickly.
After Ruby received the court summons, she called me. "Sofia, don't go too far. Henry was willing to spend that money on me."
I shot back, "That money is marital property. Do you even know what that means? You didn't just spend Henry's money; you spent mine too. Am I wrong to want my money back?"
Ruby angrily hung up. Soon after, Celeste called me. I hung up immediately. She called again. I hung up again. She called at least a dozen times, and I didn't answer any of them.
Later, an unknown number popped up. I answered, only to hear Celeste's voice, so I hung up again. Then came a barrage of text messages. I blocked her number right away.
Not long after, all of Henry's relatives started calling me. I just turned off my phone, bought a new one, got a new number, and gave it to my parents, Marley, and my daughter's school.
I turned on the old phone, put it on silent, and watched as the screen kept lighting up with calls and messages. I didn't answer one. I finally understood why Celeste always hung up on me. Watching someone one disliked get anxious was oddly satisfying.
On the day of the hearing, I was a new person decked out in a designer suit with a chic short haircut, looking sharp and capable. Marley had advised me that in cases against mistresses, I should dominate the atmosphere.
Before the hearing, there's always a mediation session. When Marley and I walked into the mediation room, Celeste and Ruby were already there. Surprisingly, they hadn't hired a lawyer.
I guess they were relying on the courage of ignorance.
Seeing me, Celeste finally had an outlet for her pent-up anger. "Sofia, you wretch. You caused my son's death, and now you're going after Ruby? Are you trying to kill my grandson too?"
Ruby touched her belly, playing the innocent victim.
Marley turned to the mediator and said, "As you can see, there's bad blood between my client and the defendant. The insults started immediately. I don't think there's any point in mediation. Let's proceed to trial."
The mediator looked at Celeste and Ruby with a weary expression and declared the mediation a failure, moving us to trial.