Chapter 14 - The Glass Partition
The visiting room of the county detention center smelled of industrial disinfectant and profound despair. Derek sat on the bolted metal stool, staring blankly at the smudged safety glass that separated him from the rest of the world. A prison guard stood nearby, keys jingling with a dull, rhythmic metallic clatter.
The heavy door creaked open, and Derek instinctively looked up, a pathetic spark of false hope flaring in his chest. Perhaps Chloe had changed her mind. Perhaps Marcus had softened.
Instead, a prison clerk slid a final envelope beneath the security slot. Derek picked it up with shaking hands. Inside was the finalized divorce decree, bearing Sienna's unyielding signature and official documentation proving that his former home had been sold, his assets seized, and his maiden name fully restored to his ex-wife. He pressed his palm against the cold glass, but there was nothing on the other side except his own distorted reflection staring back in total defeat.
