The Judge's Abandonment and Contempt

Prologue

“You both look beautiful,” I say, walking into the room as my wife finishes getting ready.

“Don’t you ever get tired of complimenting me every day?”

“Never.”

I say this while caressing my wife Luma’s huge belly. She’s seven months pregnant, and soon she’ll bring our little Ellie into the world. We couldn’t be happier. I remember when I first saw Luma.

“We met in college. I was studying law, and she was studying business. One day at one of the parties we used to throw, I saw her, and I have to admit, I thought she was beautiful.

I always thought love at first sight was nonsense, until it happened to me.

Luma looked stunning in a blue dress that fell to her knees.

Her natural blonde hair was her crowning glory, and her blue eyes were like the sky.

I was completely enchanted, and I promised myself she would be mine for the rest of my life.

“You like the blonde, huh? She really is gorgeous.”

“Keep your eyes off her—she’s already mine.”

“I didn’t say anything.” My friend Mattia raises his hands in surrender.

“That’s what I like to hear.”

I smile at my friend, who gives me a sideways look and makes a face.

Mattia is a stubborn Italian—that’s the best way to put it.

He barely had any friends, was very serious, and liked everything done just so.

He’d been studying business, and after two years, switched to culinary school because his dream was to take over the family restaurant.

And honestly, he was an excellent cook. I shake my head, snapping out of my reverie. ”

“Honey, I’m ready. Let’s go. Otherwise, we’ll be late, and you know how Mattia is.”

Today is the grand opening of another one of my friend’s restaurants.

It’s been just over six years since he took over the family business after returning from college.

Soon after, his father died in an accident, and he had to handle everything on his own from that point forward.

Since then, he’s been taking the world by storm.

“Let’s go, honey. The roads really aren’t great for driving. I’m only going because he’s my friend. So we need to leave now if we want to take it slow.”

It was bitterly cold that day. The snow kept falling thick and heavy, and the roads, no matter how often the plows cleared them, were always covered in ice. It was dangerous to be out.

We get in the car in the garage. I turn on the heat, and finally we head out.

I can honestly say I’m a fulfilled man. My dream was always to become a judge, and I’m making it happen.

I’m an excellent lawyer with clients in both Europe and the United States.

I’ve made a name for myself and earned a lot of respect.

Modesty aside, I’m the best in my field—I’ve never lost a case.

As my wife always says, when I walk into a courtroom, I forget the world outside and focus only on my client and why I’m there.

Here’s something about me: I don’t work for criminals.

I’ve had plenty of offers, because I’m known as merciless, fierce, relentless.

I study every case meticulously because I hate losing—and that’s what makes me the best.

I’m driving with my pregnant wife beside me.

We’re happy. Soon our Ellie will be born.

We’re on our way to dinner at Mattia’s new restaurant.

He always dreamed of taking his family’s name around the world, and after he took over, the business grew tremendously. I’ve always been there to support him.

Today is one of those days. He’s opening the first of many branches, and of course I couldn’t miss it—despite the heavy snow and dangerous roads. But I’m being careful.

“Honey, it won’t be long before our daughter is born. Don’t you think we should stay at our apartment, the one closer to the hospital?”

“There are still two months left, Luma. We have time. You’ve already decorated the rooms, so when the doctor says it’s almost time, we’ll move.”

“I know you only want what’s best for both of us.”

“You two are the most important women in my life, my love, and I do everything I can to make you happy—just like I will with our little girl.”

I caress her belly and our baby moves, kicking right where my hand rests.

Today I can say I’m a truly fulfilled man.

I worked hard to get where I am. I’ll be an even better judge, and I have the woman I always dreamed of—one who supports me in everything.

And now, to make it all complete, here comes our Ellie, our little princess.

I look at my wife, and we exchange smiles—when suddenly I feel an impact and our car spins on the snow-covered road.

I didn’t see what happened. In that moment, I thought only of my wife, almost seven months pregnant, right there beside me.

I grabbed her hand and threw my body over hers, but it was too late.

We slammed into a tree, and after that, everything went black.

I wake up a few weeks later. Everything in my body hurts.

Even thinking is painful. I try to stretch to press the call button above my head, and with great effort, I see the red light turn on.

Seconds later, a man dressed all in white enters my ICU room, along with two women—the doctor and nurses, I assume.

“Owen Blake, you’re finally awake.” As he speaks, the nurses check all my vitals—blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen levels—but I can only think of my wife. With great difficulty, I manage to ask.

“Where is my wife?” I whisper, so quietly that the doctor has to lean down close to my mouth to hear me.

“One thing at a time, counselor. First, let us check you over. If everything looks good, we’ll take you to see your wife and daughter. All in good time, okay?”

I just nod to avoid saying the difficult words “I’m fine.

” They stay there for several more long minutes.

I go through some tests—an echocardiogram, a blood draw, and the orthopedist comes for a chest X-ray.

I watch everything anxiously because my first priority is knowing about my wife and daughter; then I’ll worry about myself. But for them, that’s not how it works.

“Owen, nice to meet you. I’m Dr. Maxwell Donel.

When you and your wife arrived, I was on duty and took on both cases.

We ran all the necessary tests and decided to put you in the ICU for closer monitoring, even though your injuries weren’t that serious.

You hit your head very hard, which caused a subgaleal hematoma—basically blood pooling under the scalp.

You broke several ribs, and because of that your CRP was elevated, so we had to keep a close eye on you. ”

“I want to know about my wife. Take me to her.”

“We’re going to take you to see your daughter. She was born two months early, but she’s doing very well.”

They put me in a wheelchair—with great difficulty, because I’m a big man and I was in a lot of pain. They guided me through corridors until we reached the pediatric area. I looked through the glass and saw her, so small, so defenseless. I thought of my wife and asked again.

“And my wife, where is she? I want to see her.” The answer I heard was not what I expected.

“Dr. Owen, your wife arrived in very bad shape. In the accident, she hit her head and suffered severe injuries to her body, fracturing many ribs. We rushed to try to save her and the baby, but she didn’t make it. I’m so sorry.”

No, no, it can’t be. Not her. Luma still had so much to live for, and our daughter—she would grow up without her mother.

No, I don’t accept it. I started to fall apart as tears streamed down my face.

I was a tough man. I didn’t cry. But in that moment, the pain I felt was overwhelming, an emptiness I never imagined I’d feel in my entire life.

Despair, rage, a tightness in my chest—these were the sensations that hit me when I learned she was gone.