All Chapters of I Want A Divorce: Chapter 91 - Chapter 100

SERAThe building looked smaller than I remembered.Weathered brick walls that had once seemed impossibly tall now appeared almost humble in the warm afternoon light, the windows still barred but freshly painted, the front steps showing cracks in the concrete that hadn't been there before.Johnson's hand was steady on my elbow as we walked up those steps, and I was grateful for it because my legs felt unsteady in a way that had nothing to do with being discharged from the hospital.The door opened before I could knock."Sera!" Martha's face crumpled with joy, her wrinkled hands reaching for me immediately. "Oh my dear girl!"She pulled me into a hug that smelled like lavender soap and peppermint candies, her thin arms surprisingly strong. I hugged her back and felt something loosen in my chest."Hi, Martha," I managed, my voice muffled against her shoulder.She pulled back to look at me properly, her hands cupping my face with gentleness that made my eyes sting. Her brown eyes were th

DARIUSThe text from my assistant came through as I sat in traffic, still reeling from the empty hospital room.(Subject located: East Side Community Orphanage, 847 Riverside Drive.) An orphanage? My hands tightened on the steering wheel as I pulled up the address and stared at the unfamiliar part of town I'd never had reason to visit.I made it there in twenty minutes.The building that came into view was nothing like what I'd imagined—not that I'd ever imagined where Sera had grown up because I'd never bothered to ask.Weathered brick walls showed their age in crumbling mortar and faded paint, the barred windows giving the place an institutional feel that made something uncomfortable twist in my chest. A rusted chain-link fence surrounded a small courtyard where broken playground equipment sat in patchy grass.This is where Sera grew up.I knew because my grandfather had shown me a picture once, showed me the address and also passed on the responsibility of sponsoring the place co

SERAThe restaurant was small and warm, tucked into a quiet corner where traffic noise couldn't quite reach. Soft jazz played from hidden speakers, and the smell of food wrapped around us.Johnson sat across from me, his hands folded on the table, his expression serious in a way that made my stomach tighten."I want to talk about your future," he said steadily. "About your music."My hands wrapped tighter around the coffee cup in front of me, the ceramic warm against my palms even though I hadn't taken a single sip. My throat felt too tight to swallow anything."The Smith family has a media company," Johnson continued. "It's expanding into artist management and development. I'm not your manager anymore—I know that chapter closed—but I can still help you restart your music career properly."The words should have excited me. Should have made my heart race with possibility the way it used to.Instead, I just felt tired."Johnson—" I started, but he held up his hand gently."Just hear me

DARIUS"Let's begin with the custody arrangement," my lawyer said, pulling out a document and setting it in the center of the table where everyone could see. "Mr. Blackwood is proposing shared custody with alternating months. Luna would spend one month with her mother, the following month with her father. Holidays would be split evenly—Christmas alternating years, Thanksgiving the same. School breaks divided fairly."Sera's lawyer leaned forward and pulled the document closer, her eyes scanning the pages with practiced efficiency while Sera sat motionless beside her, hands folded in her lap and face completely unreadable.Johnson's presence beside her was an eye-sore, and I was constantly resisting the urge to ask him to leave. "The terms seem reasonable on the surface," Sera's lawyer said after several minutes of silence broken only by the sound of pages turning. "We'll need to review the specifics regarding school decisions, medical care, and transportation logistics."My lawyer no

SERAOne year had changed everything.I sat in the recording studio with my headphones on, fingers flying across the piano keys as I layered the final touches on a score for an animated film the Smith entertainment company was producing. The melody swelled and dipped, carrying the emotion I'd poured into every note over the past three weeks.Through the glass window, the sound engineer, Thomas, gave me a thumbs up and I lifted my hands from the keys, flexing my fingers as the last notes faded into silence."That's perfect, AJ," he said through the intercom, eyes gleaming with excitement. "The director is going to love this."I smiled and nodded, gathering my sheet music and tucking it into my leather portfolio. The anonymity had been the best option, especially when I knew I couldn't drag Luna down that stressful path of walking around with her as a known face. So, when I took my old name, I told Johnson I wanted to continue being anonymous. My work had taken off faster than I'd dar