Signed And Done!

~Isabelle~

Today was the day scheduled to hand over the divorce papers to Victor. Jason’s arrival was like a miracle, because without asking much questions, he swung into action, and in less than four hours, he had gotten me a lawyer and a divorce will had been crafted.

I meant it when I told Victor that I was no longer returning to that house, so I instructed the lawyer Jason got for me to prepare the divorce proceedings in a courtroom. That way, it was strict and professional, and I also instructed him to include in the letter of invitation to the court issued to Victor that no family member was allowed to attend the proceeding.

It had to be just the two of us.

I did that because I did not want to have to deal with his cruel and antagonistic family, because I knew that if they showed up at the court, they would throw shades at me.

“I hope he will not be late,” I said to Jason worriedly as we sat in the car that Jason had rented when he arrived and waited for the lawyer.

It was surprising that I did not have a personal lawyer, but then again, when I stripped myself of my family name, wealth, and connection and married Victor, no one had expected that a “lowlife” girl like me would need a lawyer, let alone be able to afford one, so I simply maintained that profile, and in truth, I hadn’t had need of one until now.

“He will, trust me,” Jason said. “You are just nervous for nothing, Isabelle; you are not even late,” Jason added.

I nodded in agreement and continued to wait.

“I have already booked our ticket to fly back home, so the minute you are done and the divorce is final, I will be driving you straight to the airport,” Jason informed me out of the blue.

Since when he showed up at the hospital, we hadn’t had time to talk, especially being that I had given him an assignment almost immediately, so I looked at him, surprised.

“What? You did say you were done with Victor Walters, correct?” Jason asked me.

“Yes, I am,” I answered, but that wasn’t the reason for my surprise; I just hadn’t thought that I would be dealing with my immediate family or returning back right after, especially after everything. I had thought that I would stay with Sasha for a while before making any further decision, but I didn’t say any of this to Jason.

Besides, I needed the distance from Victor.

The lawyer knocked on the car door thankfully, and Jason opened the door for him to enter.

“Are we ready?” Barrister Andrew asked me.

“Of course,” I answered and released the breath I was holding.

Then Jason drove us both to the court. We arrived there quite on time, which was good, because it would create a bad impression if the party doing the filing arrived late. Involuntarily, I glanced around to see if Victor had arrived, but he hadn’t.

“I am coming with you,” Jason said, unhooking his seatbelt.

“You can’t,” I said, too quickly.

“Why?” Jason asked.

“The order is that it is just Isabelle, Victor, and their lawyers; no family members included,” Barrister Andrew explained, saving me from the task of doing so.

“Who the heck made that arrangement?!” Jason was highly displeased. “I am certain that it is that control-freak, Victor,” Jason added, grounding his teeth in anger.

Knowing it was me who asked for it, I decided not to say a word.

“Just hang around for a few minutes, and please, you cannot speak to or confront Victor when he comes…you cannot even let him know of your presence, otherwise it would dissolve the divorce proceedings,” I told Jason all at once.

“She is right, Jason,” Barrister Andrew added, and that was enough to stop Jason from throwing tantrums.

Anyway, it wasn’t long after we settled into the courtroom that Victor and his lawyer arrived. Of course, his lawyer was undeniably one of the best in the city, but that did not deter me, because I knew exactly what I wanted. 

I sensed Victor trying to catch my eyes, and I deliberately avoided eye contact, because I did not even want to see him. I already told Barrister Andrew that I wanted the whole process to be as quick and painless as possible.

Barrister Andrew began confidently. “My client wants this process to be easy and quick, and professional at best. Now that that is out of the way, we all know why we are here already, so there is no need to beat around the bush,” he continued.

His confidence made me feel more at ease, even though I still vehemently refused to meet Victor’s eyes. In fact, being in the same space with him made me angry and hurtful, as though the wounds inflicted on me by him and his family had just been cut open afresh.

Barrister Andrew brought out the divorce paper and passed it to Victor’s fancy and expensive lawyer.

“The divorce has already been signed by my client already, Miss Isabelle, so your client needs to also sign once you have read through so that this would be over and done with,” Barrister Andrew said to Victor’s lawyer who immediately began to read through the paper.

Victor scoffed, but he sounded somewhat shocked and wounded. “Miss already?” he asked, but neither I nor Barrister Andrew responded to him. “Are you even a legal and qualified lawyer?” Victor just wouldn’t give it a rest.

I knew why he asked that question; to ridicule me and make himself feel better, but this would be the last time he would ever get that chance.

“Of course,” Barrister Andrew said as he handed his ID card to Victor for verification.

“You should sign this; it’s all clear,” Victor’s lawyer told him.

I caught a flicker of shock in Victor’s eyes as he stared at his lawyer, befuddled.

“Do I really have to sign this?” Victor asked.

He really wanted to tie me back, but I would be damned if I would ever let that happen, and I knew that Victor would try something like this, which was why I gave Barrister Andrew all the instructions I gave him when he was preparing the divorce paper.

“You cannot decide not to sign it, Mr. Walters; it has been ordered by the court. Besides, she already dropped your name,” Victor’s lawyer told him.

I watched Victor sign the divorce paper, right next to my own signature, and I felt free as a bird!