Chapter 10: Signing Before Seventeen-Year-Old Brandon

The final divorce hearing arrived on a rainy morning. Rhea entered without the sapphire ring or any symbol of her marriage.

The end of the marriage did not require Rhea to pretend every good memory had been false. Brandon had loved her and betrayed her; both truths could exist at once. The second truth was simply serious enough that she no longer wanted the marriage, regardless of the first.

Brandon asked for a few private minutes before the final signatures. He showed her the old letter and admitted that his seventeen-year-old self had loved and respected her better than the man he became.

The end of the marriage did not require Rhea to pretend every good memory had been false. Brandon had loved her and betrayed her; both truths could exist at once. The second truth was simply serious enough that she no longer wanted the marriage, regardless of the first.

Brandon explained that he had once separated love from physical betrayal, telling himself that Rhea was his home while other women meant nothing.

The end of the marriage did not require Rhea to pretend every good memory had been false. Brandon had loved her and betrayed her; both truths could exist at once. The second truth was simply serious enough that she no longer wanted the marriage, regardless of the first.

Rhea told him the truth he had avoided: every hotel room, lie, secret conversation, and affair had been a separate choice against their marriage.

The end of the marriage did not require Rhea to pretend every good memory had been false. Brandon had loved her and betrayed her; both truths could exist at once. The second truth was simply serious enough that she no longer wanted the marriage, regardless of the first.

He wished he could change individual moments—the alcohol, the hospital, the parking lot—but Rhea explained that no single corrected decision could save them. He would have needed to be a different husband for years.

The end of the marriage did not require Rhea to pretend every good memory had been false. Brandon had loved her and betrayed her; both truths could exist at once. The second truth was simply serious enough that she no longer wanted the marriage, regardless of the first.

Brandon said he hated himself. Rhea told him self-hatred would accomplish nothing. If he truly regretted what he had done, he should live better, become a responsible father, and stop hurting people while calling it love.

The end of the marriage did not require Rhea to pretend every good memory had been false. Brandon had loved her and betrayed her; both truths could exist at once. The second truth was simply serious enough that she no longer wanted the marriage, regardless of the first.

They returned to the conference room. Rhea remembered the translucent seventeen-year-old Brandon telling her to leave and never turn back.

The end of the marriage did not require Rhea to pretend every good memory had been false. Brandon had loved her and betrayed her; both truths could exist at once. The second truth was simply serious enough that she no longer wanted the marriage, regardless of the first.

She signed the final documents as Rhea Lowe. Brandon's hand shook when he signed his name.

The end of the marriage did not require Rhea to pretend every good memory had been false. Brandon had loved her and betrayed her; both truths could exist at once. The second truth was simply serious enough that she no longer wanted the marriage, regardless of the first.

Outside, he asked whether he would ever see her again. Rhea said perhaps, but told him not to wait. He finally understood that it was goodbye.

The end of the marriage did not require Rhea to pretend every good memory had been false. Brandon had loved her and betrayed her; both truths could exist at once. The second truth was simply serious enough that she no longer wanted the marriage, regardless of the first.

The end of the marriage did not require Rhea to pretend every good memory had been false. Brandon had loved her and betrayed her; both truths could exist at once. The second truth was simply serious enough that she no longer wanted the marriage, regardless of the first.

The end of the marriage did not require Rhea to pretend every good memory had been false. Brandon had loved her and betrayed her; both truths could exist at once. The second truth was simply serious enough that she no longer wanted the marriage, regardless of the first.

The end of the marriage did not require Rhea to pretend every good memory had been false. Brandon had loved her and betrayed her; both truths could exist at once. The second truth was simply serious enough that she no longer wanted the marriage, regardless of the first.

The end of the marriage did not require Rhea to pretend every good memory had been false. Brandon had loved her and betrayed her; both truths could exist at once. The second truth was simply serious enough that she no longer wanted the marriage, regardless of the first.

The end of the marriage did not require Rhea to pretend every good memory had been false. Brandon had loved her and betrayed her; both truths could exist at once. The second truth was simply serious enough that she no longer wanted the marriage, regardless of the first.