Chapter 4

Third POV

Nada got into her apartment, undressed, had her bath and relaxed before coming out to breastfeed her triplets. She breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Now, I can live happily for real, without love, yeah, but not with fake love.” 

“Ma’am, he might have loved you from the beginning but changed along the way.” Sarah cut in. Nada smirked. 

“What matters most is that he changed but I never changed with him.” 

Nada was well prepared for the court case, she didn’t want to involve her parents except when she needed money. That life of keeping her money with her mom to stoop low to Harvey’s level or even below was still running through her veins. 

She didn’t want to deny the fact that she was scared of the law, though she never cheated against him, it could be the reverse depending on how the judge was going to see it. She prayed for a woman judge who would see through her predicament, her worst fear was the judge’s arbitrary judgement, more prone to occur with a male judge where he would choose to side with Harvey rather than stick to the rule of the constitution.  

Harvey went over to live with Alisa, planning more into his divorce case. His heart had always been with Alisa from the beginning but he couldn’t help because she wasn’t ready for marriage as when he wanted to settle down but Nada was. Though he had loved Nada from the beginning, he was fonder of Alisa. He felt more happiness with her. 

Harvey sat at the rooftop enjoying the view of the green and serene courtyard below them, caressing Alisa’s tummy gently. 

“Honey, I’m pregnant for you and we are going to marry soon, besides why don’t we have sex. No one would accuse us of cheating, we have the sperm donor certification already. My pregnancy is a result of that.” 

She always tried to seduce him but Harvey wasn’t ready yet. “Though I have to cheat with you by getting you pregnant, I want us to marry first before we do that.” He always replied to her each time. 

The essence, for her to still look fresh in his eyes after they tie the knot. 

Harvey, in a bid to move ahead with his best friend, had registered his divorce case in court. Nada was invited. Her family wanted to hire the best lawyers for her but she declined. 

“I’ve always been the foot mat, stooping low like a child with no decision of mine to please Harvey. Now he’s gone, I want to be a full grown adult and fight my battles alone.” 

“I don’t need a lawyer, I’m a lawyer myself.” She said with confidence. 

It was four months after delivery, she had to stand on the dock as a defendant and as her own lawyer. Merely walking into the courtroom, her face glistened with joy seeing Maria Carlos, her favorite lecturer in college. She was to preside over her case. 

She knew she had already won. Besides the relationship between them, Nada loved it was a woman with an abusive husband in the past, she had first-hand experience. Harvey and Alisa began their complaints and accusations, stating her change in attitude as per owning an apartment which they rented without informing him. 

“It’s by no way stated in the law that a spouse must disclose every single detail to his or her partner, especially when it’s to their best interest.” Nada countered when asked to speak. 

“On the contrary, did you disclose such a critical decision as donating sperm for a lady close to you to me? You not only donated out of charity but as a surrogate.” 

Harvey’s caught her here, accusing her of trying to blackmail him and basing her decision of separating from him from a false, baseless claim and brought out the sperm donor certificate, asking why he would have to use an artificial method instead of the natural method if he really wanted to cheat with Alisa. 

His words received nods from Harvey and Alisa. “Because of this, my client seeks a divorce.” The lawyer declared. “And he must be called over to state his percentage of her wealth to claim.” 

Nada smiled, remaining steady, silent and focused. The court attendants were puzzled, wondering why she wasn’t afraid to lose a great percent of her net worth to her ex-husband, as considered. But still Nada showed no reaction. 

She had no audio proof of when Harvey said he will in fact make Alisa his back up and surrogate since she was using fibroids to deceive. She never thought it would lead to her. Inside of her, her heart was beating, her mind in silent prayer. 

On a normal basis, this would be one of the tips Harvey would be using to defeat her and take what belongs to her but she had a back up plan, a plan she possessed without even thinking of a day like this. A plan to please her accuser but on a day like this was going to be turned against him. 

Harvey stepped forward with a face glowing with excitement, it bubbled in his chest. Alisa giggled on her seat, inside of her hormones were excited, triggered by her pregnancy and hope of getting her rival’s fortunes. 

Her goal from the start was near coming to reality. 

“How many percent of her wealth as the heiress of a billionaire family ranked at eighty billion dollars do you want?” The judge asked, stealing glances at Nada from time to time. 

Nada couldn’t totally avoid the tension. She was eager to hear what Harvey would say, she would get to determine his heart towards her with this. Whether he ever truly loved her. 

“Eighty percent. She can use the twenty percent to take care of her babies for life.” 

Nada froze. Harvey and Alisa beamed more with joy. 

The judge rose up, a rare case in court, turning towards Nada, she jerked up, unleashing the tension which was rocking her chest. 

“Nada,” Maria called her. 

“Yes, my Lord.” She bowed in courtesy. 

“I have a question.” She paused. “One I’ll use to deliver my judgment.” Tension spread through the courtroom. “Have you ever cheated on him or tried to defraud him in any way, including financially?” 

“No, my Lord.” 

“What of you, Harvey? Has she done any of what I’ve mentioned to you?” 

He paced around, turning to Alisa, then back to the judge. “No, my Lord but the law of divorce here in the state of Brooklyn states that the less richer partner be assigned the alimony.” 

The judge sat, remained silent. 

“May your wish be granted.” She added no other clause. Everyone watched as Nada smiled, a chill rang through Harvey’s spine, same with Alisa. 

What’s going on with her? Has she gone nuts? 

They both wondered. 

Nada knew what it meant as a lawyer, this verdict without an additional clause. Both were asked to bring the statement of their net worth, they were notified of this even before today’s case. Both were displayed over the projector screen. 

Harvey George - $70,000 (In both monetary and physical assets)

Nada George - $ 0 (All assets registered under next of kin’s name - MOTHER) 

Harvey gawked, mouth opened, legs shaking. Alisa immediately fell ill with fever. The court room fell into silence. Maria’s lips curled slightly into a sinister grin, same with Nada. It seemed as though they had already conspired before now, the way both Harvey and Alisa thought. 

In the midst of their shock, the judge delivered her final verdict. 

“According to a case like this, under the law, Mr. Harvey, you’re hereby mandated to convey eighty percent of your net worth to Nada, officially now your ex-wife, in cash or in kind.” 

She barely finished when he slipped and collapsed. As everyone rushed towards him, the judge and Nada remained still, sharing congratulatory looks. 

“Perhaps, this is just the beginning of his downfall.” Nada uttered within her.