Chapter 7 - The Final Verdict
For a long moment, the only sound was the distant laughter of children playing on the swings and the rustle of autumn leaves in the wind.
Claire looked down at her wedding band—or rather, the pale, untanned circle of skin where it used to be.
"When you were kissing her in parking garages, Richard, did you ever wonder what it cost me?" Claire asked softly, her voice cutting through the open air with surgical precision. "Did you ever wonder what it felt like to bleed, to heal, to nurse our child while my phone buzzed with notifications of your credit card paying for another woman's luxury?"
"I was selfish," I wept, pressing my forehead against the damp grass. "I was a coward."
"Yes, you were," Claire agreed without hesitation. "And you still are. Because even now, you're kneeling here crying because your life fell apart, because you lost your job, because you are lonely. You haven't once asked how Hope is doing. You haven't once acknowledged the trauma you inflicted on the innocent life we brought into this world."
Her words felt like physical slaps. She was right. Even in my remorse, my ego was still stubbornly tied to my own suffering.
Claire turned away, walking over to Elena, who gently handed sleeping Hope back into her arms. My daughter stirred slightly, letting out a tiny, soft coo that ripped right through my heart.
"My attorney will send you the revised settlement papers tomorrow," Claire said over her shoulder, not bothering to look back down at me. "Sign them, give me the divorce, and accept the custody terms. If you try to contest it, my lawyers will ensure every single sordid detail of your corporate misconduct and personal betrayal is dragged out publicly in court, destroying whatever scraps of your reputation are left."
"Claire, wait—"
"Goodbye, Richard," she said firmly.
May you like
Elena glared at me with pure venom, stepping protectively beside her sister as they walked toward the parking lot, getting into the silver SUV and pulling away without a backward glance.
I stayed on my knees in the grass long after their car disappeared around the corner. The autumn wind blew cold around me, stripping the trees of their remaining leaves.
