CHAPTER 4:The Divorce Papers
Morning sunlight spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Clara's hospital suite, but it did nothing to warm the heaviness in the room.
She hadn't slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she felt the edge of the banquet table crashing into her stomach again.
Every time she drifted off, she heard Mark's voice.
"You're embarrassing yourself."
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
Governor Sterling stepped inside carrying a paper bag from a neighborhood bakery.
"For the record," he said with a faint smile, "the doctors told me you need to eat."
Clara laughed quietly for the first time in months.
"You still think pastries can fix everything."
"No."
He pulled up a chair beside her bed.
"But they've helped me survive more than one campaign."
She accepted the warm blueberry muffin.
For several minutes, neither of them spoke.
Finally, Clara broke the silence.
"I should've called you."
Governor Sterling looked at her.
"I wanted this marriage to work so badly."
"I know."
"I kept making excuses."
"He's stressed."
"He's building his business."
"He doesn't mean the things he says."
A tear slipped down her cheek.
"I lied to everyone."
She looked down at her hands.
"But mostly..."
"I lied to myself."
Her father reached across the bed and gently squeezed her hand.
"Loving someone isn't a mistake."
"Staying after they stop loving you is a tragedy."
Across the city...
Mark hadn't gone home.
He'd spent the entire night inside his office.
Coffee cups covered his desk.
His phone battery had nearly died.
The television mounted on the conference room wall replayed the same headline over and over.
POLITICAL CONSULTANT INVOLVED IN CHARITY GALA ALTERCATION.
The Governor's office hadn't released names.
Not yet.
But it didn't matter.
The story was spreading anyway.
His assistant cautiously entered.
"There are reporters downstairs."
Mark didn't even look up.
"Tell them to leave."
"They've been here since six."
"They won't."
Another knock.
This time it was Human Resources.
Then Legal.
Then Finance.
One after another.
Each carrying another problem.
Another client terminating a contract.
Another employee resigning.
Another board member demanding his immediate removal.
By noon, Harrison Strategies had lost nearly half its active accounts.
By one o'clock...
The company stock, traded privately among investors, had become almost worthless.
Meanwhile...
Evelyn sat inside the penthouse apartment Mark had secretly rented for her six months earlier.
She stared at the television with growing panic.
Her phone rang.
It was her father.
She answered immediately.
"Dad—"
"What did you do?"
His voice thundered through the speaker.
"I didn't—"
"Don't lie to me."
"I've already seen the surveillance footage."
Evelyn's face drained of color.
"What... what footage?"
"The footage of you grabbing Clara."
"The footage of you pretending to fall."
"The footage of Mark assaulting his own pregnant wife because you smiled at him."
Her breathing became shallow.
"Dad, listen—"
"No."
"You've embarrassed this family."
"You've embarrassed me."
"And beginning today..."
"Every credit card under the Thorne family account has been canceled."
Her eyes widened.
"What?"
"The apartment isn't yours."
"The car isn't yours."
"The trust fund isn't yours."
"You'll discover very quickly what life feels like without our last name opening every door."
The call ended.
Evelyn stood frozen.
For the first time in her life...
No one was coming to rescue her.
Late that afternoon...
A woman in a navy-blue suit entered Clara's hospital room.
She extended a leather portfolio.
"I'm Victoria Ellis."
"Governor Sterling asked me to represent you."
One of the most respected divorce attorneys in the state.
Clara slowly nodded.
Victoria opened the folder.
"I've already reviewed the surveillance footage."
She slid several documents across the table.
"These are the divorce petition..."
"...the request for temporary protective orders..."
"...and the filing for sole legal and physical custody upon the child's birth."
Clara stared at the papers.
This was it.
The end of eight years of marriage.
Her hand trembled as she picked up the pen.
Governor Sterling stood quietly near the window.
He said nothing.
He wouldn't make this decision for her.
It had to be hers.
Clara looked down at the line waiting for her signature.
Then she remembered...
Mark dancing with Evelyn.
Mark ignoring her tears.
Mark threatening to abandon her.
Mark's hands shoving her into the table.
Without another moment of hesitation...
She signed.
Victoria carefully gathered the documents.
"I'll have him served today."
As she reached the door, she paused.
"Oh... one more thing."
She smiled gently.
"Based on the evidence..."
"I don't believe Mr. Harrison realizes how much this divorce is going to cost him."
The door closed.
Clara looked down at her now-bare left hand.
The wedding ring was gone.
The fear was gone too.
For the first time in years...
The future didn't frighten her.
It felt like freedom.
That same evening...
A process server walked into Mark's office.
"Mr. Harrison?"
Mark looked up wearily.
"Yes?"
The man placed a thick envelope on his desk.
"You've been served."
Mark frowned.
"What is this?"
He opened the envelope.
His face turned white.
PETITION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE
His eyes blurred as he reached the final page.
Signed only hours earlier.
Clara Elizabeth Sterling.
Not Clara Harrison.
Sterling.
She had already reclaimed the name he could never take from her.
For the first time since the gala...
Mark realized something no amount of apologies could change.
He hadn't just lost his career.
He had lost the only woman who had ever loved him before he became successful.
May you like
And this time...
There would be no second chance.
