LOGINKATHRYN POVIris did not argue.He just looked at me like he was trying to understand if I was protecting myself or hurting both of us.Finally, he nodded."Alright, " he said quietly. "I hear you."That was it.No fight. No argument. Just acceptance.That made me feel weird because I am used to fighting.Being heard without a fight. That is something I do not know how to deal with.Iris reached for his jacket not in a hurry, steady."I will leave you to it then," he said.I did not move. I did not stop him.He touched the handle of the door and paused mid-sentence.I cut my voice sharper than I intended. It landed in the space between us like something thrown.“Don’t," I said. My voice came out lower than angry but heavier. "Don’t say anything. Just leave it.”He paused. One hand was still on his jacket. His body had agreed to leave before his mind caught up.“That’s not what I’m doing," he replied. He was calm. Edged now. "Kathryn I’m not leaving until you actually talk to me.”The
KATHRYN POVI came home to my penthouse expecting it to be quiet you know that kind of silence that happens after a day of pretending I have my life together.As soon as the elevator doors opened I felt it. That change in the air was really something. It was like someone had been in my space rearranging things. Without actually touching anything.I did not even need to go all the way to see Iris. He was sitting there in the middle of my life like he owned the place.Iris was waiting, with his hands folded and his eyes on me as soon as I walked in."What are you doing here?" I asked Iris trying to sound calm. I could hear the edge in my voice when I talked to him. "This is not your space anymore " I told Iris.Iris did not react, which is what he usually does. Iris waits for me to calm down before he says anything to me. It is like Iris knows that when I am quiet I am more honest, with Iris."I just wanted to make sure you got what I sent you " Iris said quietly to me as if it were no
KATHRYN POVI checked the clock.9:03 PM.I walked to the door frowning.A courier was standing outside with an envelope."Kathryn Hale?" he asked."Yes," I said.He gave it to me."Signature please," he said.A minute later I was back in the kitchen looking at the package.My stomach felt funny when I saw who sent it.It was from Mayer Legal Group.I opened it away.The file inside was really big.It was full of papers.There were lots of documents, like evidence, witness statements, financial records, investigator reports, custody assessments, and legal strategies.I saw every document and every plan and every piece of work that had been done.There was a letter on top.It was one page.I picked it up. Read it.The message was short.It said that the entire case file now belongs to me.I have control over all the supporting materials, evidence, and documents.There are no conditions or obligations or requests.It did not mention marriage.Then I looked at all the paperwork, on the k
KATHRYN POVI see something change in his face.Not anger. Not even shock.Something quieter. Like a hit without a sound.I keep going. Because stopping would make me feel it.Feeling it would ruin everything I am trying to create."I never should have let it matter," My voice gets a bit tight on the last word but I make it steady again. "It didn't."That is the lie.The one I pick carefully.Not because it is completely true.Because it is needed.The room feels colder now even though nothing has changed.Only the space between us has."I feel nothing," I say finally, and I almost believe it when I say it out loud because my voice is so steady it tricks me for a second. "Not about this. Not about you. Not, about any of it."A pause.My throat gets tight. I swallow it."I want my daughter,” This part is not a lie. It keeps me grounded. "I want to leave."Silence again.He doesn't interrupt."I do not want this life anymore," I say, my voice is quieter now. It is still firm.I do not w
KATHRYN POV"You talk about not letting me walk away, "Now my voice has heat in it. It is controlled, but it is rising. "As if I was ever yours to begin with."The silence that follows is immediate. It is heavy.I do not stop talking.Because silence is where I used to get lost.Not anymore."You already let me go." This time my voice is hard it cuts through the space between the person I am talking to. "You made that decision for me without asking me any of the questions."The person I am talking to looks, at me a little differently but I do not give him space to talk.Not yet."You decided I could not handle the truth,” I said. “You took every choice I had,” Now my voice gets louder. Not out of control not broken, but full of something I have been holding back for too long. "Then you called it protection.”The word feels bad.I laughed once.“That is what you do,” My tone gets sharper. "You call it love when it costs me my own voice.”The room feels smaller now.Not because it shra
KATHRYN POVI shift my weight a little trying to steady myself because what I am about to say is not just saying no.It is leaving."I want to leave," I said.These words seem easy. Too easy for how much they mean.I do not want to talk about it or make deals I say.I do not want another version of my life where I am standing in kitchens like this trying to live with decisions that other people made.My throat gets tight. I keep talking."I want to be with Celine.” Saying her name makes me feel a little better even as it makes me more sure about what I want.No connection to the Mayer name no connection to the people they know no past following us we go.I stop for a moment letting it all sink in."I want a life that does not feel like I am always paying for something I did not choose."This last thing I say is quieter than the rest. It means more than everything else I said.For a moment I think he might say something.He does not.This is harder to deal with than if he were arguing.







