Raf
She’d rehearsed this moment a hundred times, promised herself she wouldn’t spiral. No more catastrophizing. But as Judge Arguello clears her throat, Raf feels it anyway. The quiet dread, the certainty that no matter what happens, nothing about this will feel fair.
“We’ll begin with Ms. Turner’s opening statement,” Arguello says, folding her hands on the table.
Jennifer nods and rises, smoothing her blazer. She glances at Raf, brief but steady, before turning to address the panel.
“Your Honor, we’re here because my client, Ms. Rafaella Simonetti, made the difficult and necessary decision to leave a marriage in which she parented functionally alone. Mr. Davies, by his own admission, worked upwards of eighty hours a week building his company. That left Ms. Simonetti solely responsible for raising their two children—the homework, the fevers, the school events, the emotional labor. All of it.”
Raf focuses on the water glass in front of her, watching condensation gather and slide. Just breathe.
“And this wasn’t just about absence. It was about attitude,” Jennifer continues. “Mr. Davies once wrote to a colleague, in a now-leaked email, quote: ‘Women are wired for multitasking. That’s why they should raise the kids while we build the world.’”
A rustle of papers. Someone shifts in their chair. Across the table, Judge Arguello lifts an eyebrow. Raf glances at Ethan and Mitchell Garland murmuring to each other like this is all just performance. Then Ethan looks over, meets her gaze, and smiles. Cocky bastard.
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Jennifer presses on: “My client sacrificed her career, her autonomy, and in many ways her identity, to raise their children while Mr. Davies built his empire. And now he wishes to punish her for it.”
Garland doesn’t waste a second. He rises smoothly, unhurried, slipping on his reading glasses.
“Let’s not pretend Ms. Simonetti didn’t benefit from Mr. Davies’ ambition. She married one of Silicon Valley’s most celebrated founders, stayed home by choice, and now claims martyrdom. This was a calculated arrangement. She knew what she was getting—and what she stood to gain.”
He flips a page, but he doesn’t look down. Instead, he holds the room like a closing argument.
“She married into extraordinary affluence—a world of billion-dollar valuations and global influence. And now, unsurprisingly, she feels entitled to more.”
He leans forward slightly, lowering his voice just enough to sound confidential.
“We have evidence that Ms. Simonetti deliberately embedded herself in Mr. Davies’ professional circles. And now, she expects to keep the benefits of that world without the man who earned them.”
Then he removes his glasses and returns to his seat, calm and satisfied, as if that settles everything.
Raf stares straight ahead, trying not to blink, trying not to move. Keep breathing.
“Don’t let it rattle you,” Jennifer murmurs beside her, voice low, trying for soothing. “It’s what they want.”
But already, she can feel it—the doubt creeping in, sharp and insistent. Because the worst part isn’t the lies. It’s knowing how ready people were to believe them.