Diane's POV
The courthouse steps felt endless as we descended, each step echoing the finality of what had just transpired.
Three years. Liam would be behind bars for three years, and Dylan and Danielle were finally, legally, completely mine. I should have felt victorious, but all I could manage was a hollow numbness that seemed to spread through my chest like ice water.
Dad appeared at my elbow as we reached the bottom of the steps, his face etched with concern. "Sweetheart, how are you holding up?"
I tried to smile, but my face felt frozen. "I'm fine, Dad. Just... processing everything."
"You don't look fine," he said gently, studying my face with the intensity of someone who'd spent years learning to read people's pain.
"None of this was easy. Seeing him like that..."
