Chapter 7: The Divorce Papers

The next morning, I walked into the lawyer's office before the city was fully awake.

I placed our marriage certificate on the desk and said, "I want to file for divorce."

The lawyer looked at me carefully. "Are you certain, Mr. Blaise?"

"I've never been more certain about anything."

He opened the file and began going through the paperwork.

"There may be financial complications. Your marriage is tied to several joint assets, and your wife is one of the wealthiest businesswomen in the city."

I shook my head. "I don't want any of her money."

"Are you sure? You could be entitled to a considerable amount."

"I don't want it."

All I wanted was a clean exit.

The lawyer studied me for a moment before nodding.

"Then we'll proceed without requesting compensation."

I signed the first set of documents.

My hand didn't tremble.

That surprised me.

I had imagined this moment countless times during the sleepless nights when pain kept me awake.

I had thought I would cry.

Instead, I felt strangely calm.

Maybe my heart had already left the marriage long before my body did.

When I stepped outside, my phone started ringing.

Maisie.

I let it ring.

She called again.

Then again.

Finally, a message appeared.

"Where are you? Why aren't you answering?"

I put my phone back into my pocket.

For once, I didn't feel obligated to explain myself.

I went to the bank and withdrew the small amount of money I had left in my personal account.

It wasn't much, but it was enough for a few weeks.

I had already made another decision.

I was going to sell the apartment I had inherited from my parents.

It was the last thing in my life that belonged entirely to me.

The money wouldn't be enough for treatment, but it would be enough to disappear.

By afternoon, I returned home to collect my belongings.

Maisie was waiting in the living room.

Dash was there too.

He sat beside her with one arm resting casually across the back of the sofa.

When he saw me, a smug smile appeared on his face.

"So you finally came back."

I ignored him and walked toward the bedroom.

Maisie stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm taking my things."

Her expression changed.

"Why?"

"Because I'm leaving."

Dash laughed softly.

"Leaving? Where will you go?"

I turned toward him.

"Anywhere you aren't."

His smile disappeared.

Maisie stepped between us.

"Tristan, what does this mean?"

I looked at her.

"I filed for divorce."

Silence filled the room.

For the first time since I had known her, Maisie looked genuinely stunned.

"You filed for what?"

"Divorce."

"No."

She shook her head immediately.

"You don't get to decide that without talking to me."

I almost smiled.

"You decided everything without talking to me for years."

Her face went pale.

"This is because of Dash, isn't it?"

"No."

I looked at the man standing behind her.

"Dash is just the latest name on a list that stopped mattering to me a long time ago."

Dash's face reddened.

"Don't drag me into your marriage problems."

"I'm not."

I picked up the box containing my personal belongings.

"I'm taking myself out of the marriage."

Maisie grabbed my wrist.

"You can't just leave."

I looked down at her hand.

"Why not?"

She opened her mouth but couldn't answer.

I gently pulled my wrist free.

"You told me last night that I'd regret this."

Her eyes flickered.

"I didn't mean—"

"I don't regret anything."

I walked past her.

Behind me, I heard Dash whisper, "Maisie, let him go."

I stopped at the doorway.

Something about his voice made me turn around.

He wasn't smiling anymore.

He looked nervous.

Maisie noticed it too.

"Dash, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

He quickly looked away.

I narrowed my eyes.

For the first time, I wondered if there was something between them that even I didn't know about.

But I didn't ask.

Whatever secret they were hiding no longer belonged to me.

I carried my box outside.

The moment I reached the street, another wave of pain tore through my abdomen.

I leaned against the wall and waited for it to pass.

My breathing became shallow.

I closed my eyes.

A few months.

That was all I had.

And suddenly, I didn't want to spend a single one of those months being Maisie Summers' husband.

Behind me, the front door opened.

Maisie called my name.

"Tristan!"

I didn't turn around.

I kept walking.

This time, she was the one watching me leave.