"Why don't we end this on good terms? At least we'd all walk away with some dignity."
I looked at Clement, the man I'd married three years ago.
He didn't argue. He just stared at the table.
As if he agreed with every word Hayley had said.
"Clement, do you remember what you said on our wedding day?"
He looked up, his gaze shifting.
"You said you'd be good to me for the rest of your life."
I let out a bitter laugh. "Turns out your 'rest of your life' only lasted three years."
Hayley was getting impatient.
"What's the point of bringing all that up now? Clement loves me—"
She didn't get to finish.
I raised my hand and slapped her across the face.
"You... how dare you hit me?"
The slap stunned her. She stood frozen, clutching her cheek.
A few seconds later, her eyes turned red, tears pooling along her lashes.
I lowered my stinging hand. "That's for being a homewrecker."
"Women like you aren't welcome anywhere."
She tried to lunge forward, ready to argue.
I raised my hand again, and she flinched.
She scrambled behind Clement, grabbing fistfuls of his sleeve.
Clement's jaw tightened as he stepped in front of her.
"Are you done?"
"It is what it is. What else is there to say?"
I looked into his eyes. The warmth that had once lived there was gone.
All that remained was indifference and irritation.
So I nodded. "You're right. It is what it is. No point in trying to save something that's already dead."
"The divorce terms: the house goes to me, the car goes to me."
"If you agree to leave the marriage with nothing, we can head to the county clerk's office right now."
Clement was quiet for a few seconds. Then he nodded.
"Fine. I'll leave with nothing."
That easy? I hadn't expected that.
Beside him, Hayley's face changed. She tugged at his sleeve.
"You're giving up the house? Then where are we going to live?"
Clement leaned toward her and lowered his voice. "My family's property is about to be demolished. If I want, I'll get at least a million or two from the settlement."
"Plus I'm about to get promoted. I can take care of you."
Hayley pursed her lips but said nothing more.
The resentment in her eyes, though, was hard to miss.
I turned and walked out.
At the county clerk's office, Clement showed up with Hayley in tow.
She clung to his arm like she was staking a claim.
The paperwork went surprisingly fast.
When the clerk asked about the property division, I handed over the agreement.
"All set."
The clerk stamped the papers and handed us each a divorce certificate.
Walking out through the front doors, I actually felt a weight lift off my shoulders.
After all, the one who'd be suffering from here on out was the assistant.
The next evening, I went to the Chavez house for dinner as planned.
And to let them know that Clement and I were divorced.
I showed up empty-handed.
When I knocked, my former mother-in-law opened the door with a warm smile.
The moment she noticed my empty hands, that smile froze on her face.
"Meg, you're here."
"Come in."
Her voice cooled several degrees as she turned and walked back inside.
My former father-in-law took off his reading glasses and looked up curiously. "Where's the goose?"
"Didn't bring one."
I changed into house slippers and stepped inside.
Clement came out of the bedroom, glanced at me, and said nothing.
The atmosphere at the dinner table was stiff.
Four dishes: two vegetable sides and two plates of leftovers.
Halfway through the meal, Clement set down his chopsticks.
"Dad, Mom, there's something I need to tell you—"
Before he could finish, his mother cut in.
"Meg, dear, I heard your family's property is being demolished?"
My hand paused over the dishes.
Clement looked surprised. "Well, that's quite a coincidence. Both our families are getting demolition notices at the same time."
"Our house is getting demolished? Since when? How come nobody told me?" Gloria asked, confused.
"Wasn't that what you just said?"
Clement trailed off, and something seemed to click. He turned to me with a strange expression.
"The demolition you're talking about... is your family's house?!"
I ignored him. Across the table, Earl's eyes had taken on an eager gleam.
"That's right! I heard the Dickersons are getting six million dollars for the demolition!"
