Beatrice raised the phone back to her mouth.
“Lucas, pay this bill right now!”
“I cannot, Mom.”
“What do you mean you cannot?”
“I do not have any money left!”
The line went completely dead as Lucas hung up.
Nobody moved for several long seconds, and the room was suffocatingly quiet.
I calmly reached down and pulled back the receipt on the silver tray to reveal the underlying legal paperwork.
“There is something else you all should know,” I said clearly.
I handed Beatrice the certified copy of my official court ruling.
“As of this morning, the final decree was signed. Lucas and I are officially divorced, and we are no longer husband and wife.”
Beatrice blinked rapidly, staring at the seal on the document.
“That… that cannot be real.”
“It is entirely real, Beatrice. Legally speaking, we are no longer related in any way, and even if we were, that would never give your family the right to walk into my business, consume thousands of dollars in high-end goods, and leave without paying.”Plan Family Trips
