The judge looks at Peter through his glasses like someone eyeing an insect through a magnifying glass. “Such as?”
Peter’s jaw works. He looks at the table. “It’s not something to be said aloud in polite company.”
The judge gives him a long-suffering look. “This is a court of law, not a debutante ball.”
Peter blurts, “He talked about how she looked. About… aboutbreedingher. It’s… he’s…”
The judge folds his arms, waiting for Peter to finish the sentence. When he appears unable to do so, the judge sighs heavily.
“Let me see if I understand your assertion. You allege Mr. Rhodes wanted to marry his wife because he was attracted to her and wanted to have children with her. And this is a suspicious motive because?”
Peter opens his mouth. Closes it.
The judge lets the silence run. Then he looks back at his notes.
“Mr. Rhodes,” he says. “I’d like to see your prenuptial agreement.”
“There isn’t one,” Slade says.
The judge looks at him, those eyebrows practically up to his hairline. “There is no prenuptial agreement.”
“No, Your Honor.”
“So in the event of a divorce, Mrs. Rhodes would be entitled to half of your total net worth, which is somewhere in the realm of…”
“Mid-eight figures.”
I blink at him. I knew he was loaded, but that’s… a lot of money.
“My brothers and I made some good investments,” Slade explains quietly to me.
“So your wife would walk away with half,” the judge says.
Slade looks at me tenderly. “No. She would walk away witheverything.”
The judge looks at the photographs again. Then at my parents’ lawyer. Then he sits back in his chair.
“Here is what I see,” he says. “I see a substantial body of photographic and video evidence of two people building a life together. I see a man who earns fourteen million dollars a year and has no prenuptial agreement, which means in the event of dissolution his wife walks away with… whatever she wants, apparently.” He sets the pen down. “I see a woman who gave away five million dollars to food banks and animal shelters, which is not the behavior of someone running a financial scheme.” He folds his hands. “What I do not see is fraud.”
Aldrich leans forward. “Your honor, if we could direct your attention to the timeline?—”
“I’ve seen the timeline,” he says. “People fall in love quickly. It happens.” He looks around the table. “What I have in front of me are either the two best actors I have ever encountered in thirty years on the bench, or a husband and wife, deeply in love, who are making a life together.” He closes the folder. “Either way, it is not a matter for this court.”
He looks at my parents.
“Your petition is denied,” he says. “I’d strongly suggest you use the flight home to consider whether this was the best use of everyone’s time and goodwill.” A pause. “And I’d suggest you think carefully before bringing something like this before a court again.”
He stands.
We stand.
Just like that, it’s over.
Chapter 53
Appalling Rustic
LILA
