Divorce Agreement

Harriet's point of view

Randy didn’t say anything else, he just slipped his hand into the inner pocket of his suit and pulled out a document like this was something he had done a hundred times before.

My eyes followed the movement without meaning to. He placed the paper on the table and pushed it toward me. “Everything is prepared already.”

His words echoed faintly in my head, like it didn’t quite belong there. “I’m sure you know by now,” he continued, his tone even. “Sienna is heavily pregnant.”

My fingers twitched slightly at my sides. “The death of her husband affected her deeply, she hasn’t been stable since then… physically or emotionally.”

I didn’t move, didn’t even blink. “The doctor says she needs a male figure in her life. If not, the delivery might be risky. So I'm stepping in, it's the least I can do, I have to give her and the child a proper name and a place where they belong.”

His eyes met mine, there was nothing in them, no hesitation, no guilt. “If you have any demands, say them now,” he said. “Otherwise… sign it.”

Everything around me dimmed, I couldn't understand anything; he was willing to play father to a child that belongs to someone else, while throwing his own away.

My body wouldn’t move, I stood there, frozen, like if I stayed still long enough, this would undo itself.

A thin layer of tears burned at the back of my eyes. I swallowed hard, forcing them down. Slowly, I lowered my gaze, I don’t remember deciding to reach for it, but my hand lifted anyway, it hovered for a second….shaking, then my fingers touched the edge. I pulled it closer, my grip tightening without meaning to.

My breath hitched when I saw the bold words on the paper ‘Divorce Agreement.’

“Does this…” My voice came out thin and uneven. “Does this even make any sense?”

Randy sighed, like I was stressing the hell out of him. “Sienna is in a fragile state,” he said. “If I leave her now, she won’t be able to handle it.” He paused, then added, “I don’t expect you to understand. You can't even hold sperm in that infertile body of yours.”

Something sharp snapped inside me, my head lifted so fast it almost hurt and our eyes met.

For a second, I didn’t recognize the look in his eyes as he stepped closer. He took my hands, pretending like it was something precious to him, his touch made my stomach twist.

“You’re strong, Harriet,” he said quietly. “And strong people should know when to step back for those who need it more.”

A sound escaped me, it took me a second to realize it was a laugh. “Strong?” I repeated, my voice trembling despite me trying to steady it. “Is strength enough reason to cast me aside?

“Oh please, don’t make this harder than it has to be,” he said, his tone sharpening slightly. “At least… keep your dignity.”

“Really!”

“Sienna is a kind person,” he continued, softer now. “She never intended to hurt you. She’s always treated you as a sister…and so you know, nothing inappropriate has happened between us recently,” he added.

My lips parted slightly, breathing suddenly felt… difficult. “So this is what sisters do now?” I asked quietly. “Take each other’s husbands when it suits them?”

He didn’t answer that, instead, he said; “I’ll compensate you, I know starting over won’t be easy for you. Apart from what’s already in the agreement, I’ll transfer another hundred million. And you can keep the Porsche.”

My eyes fixed on him, just realizing how little he placed me, five years, reduced to money and a car.

“If your heart always belonged to her,” I asked, my voice quieter now, almost steady, “why did you marry me?”

He didn’t look away, he looked straight in my eyes and said; “Back then, Sienna’s parents arranged for her to marry someone else, a dangerous Russian Mafia,” his tone didn’t change. “We tried to run away together, but that night… I crashed my car.”

My fingers tightened around the paper.

“I almost lost the ability to walk, my grandfather  threatened to cut me off completely, said I was a fool for trying to ruin my life for a woman, if my mother hadn’t intervened, I would’ve lost everything.”

He paused, his brow lifted and a stupid smirk appeared on his face. “To regain my position in the family, I needed a strategic marriage.” His gaze settled on me,“you…. you were suitable…simple and naively loyal and your past made things… convenient for me to manage you easily, and leave when the time comes.”

The corner of his lips lifted slightly, like he was complimenting me. “For the past five years,” he continued, “you played your role perfectly, better than I expected,” he chuckled, “and I almost forgot the truth that this marriage was just an arrangement.”

I didn't move, couldn't even blink, my heart emptied completely, yet no tears came, just this strange  hollow quiet. For five years, I had loved this man like he was my entire world. I sacrificed everything, my designs, the sketches I used to stay up all night working on, the racetrack, the feeling of speed, of freedom, of being alive and now, I couldn’t even remember who I was before him.

“Fine,” I heard myself say, even though the word didn’t feel real. Dragging this out wouldn’t change anything, it would only make it hurt longer, so my hand moved, slowly, I picked up the pen that felt heavier than it should have. My fingers trembled as I lowered it toward the paper.

The tip hovered over the line, the door slammed open, I flinched as the sound tore through the room, snapping everything into place.

Elena Provost walked in like she owned the air we were breathing, her eyes swept over me in that slow and disgusting way it always did. “Good,” she said. “You haven’t let this pathetic thief leave yet.”

I didn’t respond, didn’t even look at her. Instead, I signed. My name flowed across the paper in one smooth motion. When I was done, I placed the pen down, then I turned toward the closet, opened it and began packing. I didn't think, I didn't feel anything, my hands just kept moving.

“Stop,” her voice cut through the room, but I didn’t until her hand grabbed my wrist, hard.

My body froze, but nothing prepared me for her next words. “The gold ring on my vanity is missing,” she said coldly. “I want it back. Now.”