Chapter 7

Brennan' s POV:

My head throbbed, a dull ache behind my eyes. I gripped the steering wheel, my knuckles white, the angry glare of the setting sun doing nothing to soothe my frayed nerves. I called Allison again. Straight to voicemail. Again.

My thumb hovered over the "redial" button, but I hesitated. She always answered. Always. Now, just silence. The phone felt heavy, a brick in my hand.

I threw it onto the passenger seat, then glanced at my driver. "Has Allison been home?"

The driver, a stoic man named Mark, shook his head. "Not since yesterday, sir. Her car is still in the garage."

"Of course," I muttered, running a hand through my hair. "She's just being dramatic. Trying to make a point." But a flicker of unease stirred in my gut.

I reached for my tie, loosening it, then noticed it. A small, vibrant shard of plastic, barely visible on the plush leather seat. A piece of nail polish. 'Midnight Iris.'

My blood ran cold. It wasn't mine. It was Cheri's. It must have fallen from her purse when she was in my car earlier. When she' d gone to pick up Bird.

No. Allison couldn't have seen this. She couldn't have known. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the image away. She was just being paranoid. She always got these crazy ideas.

But the cold certainty that she had seen it, that she knew, clawed at my chest. It wasn't just a nail polish. It was the confirmation. She wasn't guessing; she was sure.

I dismissed the driver, wanting to be alone. I slumped against the seat, my mind racing. I hadn't actually cheated. Not physically. Cheri was just... convenient. A warm body, a willing ear.

I used her. To make Allison jealous, yes. To remind her of what she had. To make her fight for me. It was a game. A stupid, cruel game.

I pulled out my phone, typed a furious voice message: 'Allison, this is ridiculous. Come home. Now.' Then, my finger hovered over 'send.' No. Too aggressive.

I deleted it. I typed instead: 'Allison, please come home. We need to talk.' Softer. More appealing.

I arrived home to a silent, empty house. No reply from Allison.

Bird burst into the living room, his face smeared with red. "Dad! Look! I used Mommy's lipstick! It's so pretty!" He held up a half-eaten tube, his eyes wide and innocent.

I picked him up, trying to smile. "It's okay, buddy. Mommy won't be mad." But inside, a growing dread coiled in my stomach. Allison cherished her things.

Then I saw it. The robot vacuum cleaner, whirring diligently across the marble floor, collecting dust and... scraps of paper. Small, red-tinged scraps.

Bird had once cut up Allison's art school diploma, thinking it was just 'pictures.' She'd cried for days.

"What's that, Bird?" I asked, my voice tight.

"Oh! The postman brought a red book for Mommy! But it wasn't a storybook, so I played with it!" He giggled, totally unaware.

A red book. A red book from the postman. The words echoed in my mind. Divorce certificate. No. It couldn't be. Not yet. Allison hadn't signed anything. I hadn't signed anything.

I dropped Bird, rushing to the vacuum. I hit the stop button, then carefully, painstakingly, knelt to gather the delicate fragments. My fingers trembled as I pieced them together.

'MARRIAGE.' I saw the word. A wave of relief washed over me. Just our old marriage certificate. She must have accidentally thrown it away. How careless of her.

Then, my eyes caught a small, dark stamp, crisply imprinted across the top. 'DECREE OF DISSOLUTION. THIS CERTIFICATE IS NO LONGER VALID.' And below it, in bureaucratic black ink: 'PARTIES DIVORCED. CERTIFICATE INVALIDATED.'

My hands shook, scattering the pieces again. No. It couldn't be. This was... impossible.

The stark words stared up at me from the floor. Our marriage was over. Legally. Irreversibly.